By Ifeizu Joe
It’s often said that musicians are prophets and long before many things came to be, they prophesied it through their music. Even though the music creates entertainment, the wordings of the music carry hidden messages, which only those with spiritual eyes can decide.
From musicians like Bob Marley to Fela Kuti and many others, music which they carefully packaged decades ago, seem to bear clear messages about today’s happenings, leaving fans to wonder about how they knew some of these things many years before they came into existence.
For contemporary musicians like SheddyJoe D’Entertainer, a musicians does not always have to prophesy the future, but can speak truth to society about ills that can hinder the quest for a better society.
Of course, he is not alone in this game as many musicians have once made music about contemporary happenings, either to mock society and force a change or to point out things that are not going well.
“Dis Naija” is the lead track from an album by SheddyJoe D’Entertainer, which was dropped in 2024. Shedrack Nnanna, also known as SheddyJoe is a Master of Ceremonies of note, a comedian and an aide to Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo. He also wears the hat of a musician.
I remember very well in 2024 when the album was launched at Best Western Meloch Hotel and how SheddyJoe took time to perform all the eight tracks in the album. They included; God I Praise You, Love Your Neighbour, My World, Swim Like a Fish, Dis Naija, Uri Oma and Jump Reggae.
This afternoon as I scrolled through videos on YouTube, SheddyJoe’s video of Dis Naija popped up.
The video to me came as a revolutionary piece as I watched him sitting and backing the camera while watching a television screen. On the screen flashed newspaper headlines from various tabloids, and speeches by politicians at campaign grounds, all showing tons of promises by government to the people.
Promises of good infrastructure that never came to be, quality education that never came to pass, affordable healthcare services that remains a mirage, monies borrowed to from foreign agencies to fix the country for the common man, but ended up in private pockets, and many more.
They all portrayed government at all levels as liars. But to Musician SheddyJoe, the government is not the only liar in society; the people lie even more.
He concluded: “Dis Naija na so e be oo, everybody dey lie ooo. You buy weave on N50 for market (someone asks), sister which kind weave on you dey wear, you say na Brazilian hair.”
SheddyJoe is not just angry about the height at which government and her officials dish out lies to the public, but the seeming resolve of the ordinary people to follow in that line and dish out lies in even greater measures to their fellow citizens.
This leaves us with the question as to how a corrupt society will hope to be governed by a descent politician, especially as the politician is a product of the society.
My friend and colleague, Mr Titus Eleweke always has a way of saying it was hard to find anyone that doesn’t have corrupt tendencies. He insists if you find any, it may be because they have never been near government and never been trusted with public funds.
With this track, the musician urges the public to shun lies as society cannot be full of liars, yet hope to get decent leaders.
Dis Naija na so e be ooo, everybody dey lie!
