Rapper M.I Abaga has shed light on why some celebrities choose not to speak out when politicians come under criticism.
Speaking on a recent episode of the “Outside The Box” podcast, Abaga explained that personal relationships often influence such decisions.
He noted that having a friend in politics can create a moral dilemma, where a celebrity might avoid joining in the criticism, not because they disagree with it, but to preserve personal connections.
Sharing his own experience, he recalled a late-night meeting with the governor of Jos, where they discussed plans for the creative industry until 2:30 a.m.
According to him, such personal interactions may make him reluctant to criticise the governor publicly, not because the criticism is unwarranted, but because he wants to recognise the positive side of the individual he engaged with.
He said, “Most artists have a friend that’s entered into politics, you know, and because you have a friend that’s entered into politics, you might have a closer understanding of an issue, you know, and you are also seeing that person receiving the insults and you don’t just want your voice to be part of the insult. It’s not like you don’t think the person, you just don’t want your own voice. Like, you can, like, let me use an example, like, the governor of Jos, I have my perspective of meeting with him at those two thirties.
“I’ve seen it. I’ve sat with him and he’s tired. This, do you understand, he’s the governor of a state and he’s staying up to two thirty to talk to me about my plan for the creative industry.
“So if something comes up where he’s getting a lot of pushback, I may refrain from speaking not because I don’t think that the critique is necessary for him but because I don’t, I want to speak to the person I met at two thirty. You know what I mean? He may need some, he may need a few people that are going to be like, but I see what you did at two thirty. Yeah, you are getting a lot of kickback but I still see the good in you.
“You know, this is part of being a human being”.
