Showbiz
Muslim Group MURIC Spits Fire over ‘This is Nigeria’ Video by Falz
By Dipo Olowookere
A Muslim group known as Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has directed Nigerian rapper, Folarin Falana, otherwise known as Falz, to withdraw a music video he released about a week ago entitled ‘This is Nigeria.’
The group, in a statement issued by its leader, Prof Ishaq Akintola, alleged that the artiste “denigrated Islam, demonized Nigerian Muslims and subjected them to public opprobrium” in video by portraying women in hijab (Islamic veil) as choreographers dancing the ‘shaku-shaku’, a dance he said is “associated with a drug-related song.”
MURIC said Falz has seven days to withdraw the music, threatening a legal action if he fails to adhere to the ultimatum.
Also in the video, the singer, who is the son of a human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, featured a character that dressed like a Fulani man, who suddenly abandoned his traditional guitar and beheaded a man.
MURIC described these as “thoughtless, insensitive and highly provocative, adding that it is a hate video, “Islamophobia nulli secundus.”
It said the video has the potential of causing religious crisis of unprecedented dimension.
“We therefore demand its withdrawal and an apology to Nigerian Muslims within seven days or the authors and their agents will face legal action if they fail to comply,” the group warned.
“The video manifests ethnic bias against Fulanis while it ignored the criminal activities of ethnic militia of the Middle Belt who have also massacred Fulanis and rustled their cattles in their thousands. This video has denigrated Islam, demonized Nigerian Muslims and subjected them to public opprobium.
“MURIC rejects Falz’ explanation that the the girls in hijab in his ‘Shaku Shaku’ dance symbolize the Chibok girls because nothing in the video indicates that the girls represent the Chibok girls. At least none of the Chibok girls have been seen dancing like a drunkard. They are always in pensive mood. Do they have any cause to be dancing? Are they happy? This video is the most detestable, odious and insidious Islam-bashing in recent time.
“Only the scenes portraying police brutality and the money-swallowing snake in the video are near the truth. Falz’ ‘Shaku Shaku’ video is nothing but a hate-induced production. It is a most unpatriotic handiwork of a Nigerian youth in 2018. Here is the work of a youth working towards turning Nigerians against each other; a youth inciting Nigerian Christians to hate their Muslim neighbours; a youth instigating Muslims to religious violence. This video is in bad taste. It is a hate video. It is an assault on the self-dignity of every Muslim. It is freedom of expression gone haywire.
“We call the attention of security agencies to this hate action. The tragedy facing modern societies all over the world is their criminal complicity in Islam-bashing and their hypocritical accusation of Muslims of terrorism and religious violence. On the contrary, terrorism is mere smoke. Provocation, derision and injustice are the fires which cause terrorism. We reiterate our pontification that it is naïve for a fire fighter to ignore the fire and turn his hose at the smoke. The world is treating symptoms, leaving the real ailment to fester.
“We remind Nigerians of the outcome of similar provocative actions in the past and their unpalatable outcomes. The violent reaction of Nigerian Muslims to Fun Times magazine’s blasphemous story of December 1990 in which it was alleged that “Muhammad had an illicit affair with a woman of easy virtue according to the Qur’an and later married her” shook the country to its foundation. Isioma Daniel’s article, “The World at Their Feet” published in ThisDay newspaper on Saturday, 16th November, 2002, drew the ire of Muslims across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Violent demonstrations broke out in 2005 when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten’s published a cartoon in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was depicted as a terrorist wearing a bomb-laden turban. In January 2015, Charlie Ebdo, the French satirical magazine used cartoons that were considered provocative by Muslims. Blood flowed on the streets of Paris.
“We condemn violence and all acts of terrorism. But we do not share the opinion that freedom of expression can go to any length. Even Pope Francis has warned people not to insult the faith of others. He said, ‘It is normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faiths of others. You cannot make fun of the faiths of others. Freedom of speech and expression are fundamental human rights. However, there should be a limit to offending and ridiculing the faiths and beliefs of others.’
“But has this advice been taken seriously? Nigerian Artistes have consistently proved that they are most willing to ignore the Pope’s advice. They provoke Muslims at the slightest opportunity. They have this habit of giving Muslim names to characters who play devilish, immoral and lowly roles in their films, e.g. Sikiratu Sindodo, Jelili Oniso, Basira Baseje, Osanle Modinat, Aminatu Pa-pa-pa are a few examples. Of recent, Muniru and Ambali play despicable roles of idiocy.
“The idea behind this is to make Muslims feel ashamed of the ordinary Muslim name. It is inhuman, despicable and bully-motivated. MURIC will defend the Muslim name with every legitimate tool at its disposal.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that a culture of impunity pervades the arts in Nigeria. The National Film And Video Censors Board (NFVCB), a regulatory agency set up by Act No. 85 of 1993 to regulate films and the video industry has a case to answer. ‘Shaku Shaku’ video was shot and released under its watch. What is its alucutus. What will it say if Muslims elect to go violent over this primitive, irresponsible and reckless production? What will it say if hundreds of lives and properties worth billions of dollars are lost in the ensuing violence due to its negligence?
“As we round up, MURIC warns Nigerian artists to stop giving Muslim names to devilish and lowly characters. We appeal to Muslims all over the country to simmer down. Let us adopt a civilized approach to ‘Shaku Shaku’ and teach agents provocateur some lessons in respect for human feelings. Instead of going violent, Nigerian Muslims should take those behind the ‘Shaku Shaku’ video to court in order to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We therefore give notice of impending legal action against the artist behind the ‘Shaku Shaku’ video unless the latter is withdrawn and an apology is widely published within seven days,” MURIC said in the statement.
Spotify’s latest Valentine data signals that Nigerian listening is becoming more emotionally expansive, not more predictable. Across the Jan 1 to Feb 4 comparison window, Nigeria saw strong growth in mood-led playlist creation from 2024 to 2025, with rizz up +58%, simp up +66%, and yearn up +305%. From 2025 to 2026, we could see rizz up +82% and yearn up +170%. Together, these shifts point to a culture that is naming attraction, vulnerability, and longing in real time.
A New Language for Modern Love
On Valentine’s Day, Nigerian listeners moved between local and global love soundtracks, with Burna Boy, John Legend, and Billie Eilish appearing in the same emotional universe. What stands out is not one dominant mood but the growth of multiple moods at once. Using rizz and simp as love-coded signals, and yearn as a heartbreak-coded signal, Spotify data shows both sides rising sharply. Love-coded playlist, rizz behaviour grew by +58% to +82% from 2024 to 2026, while heartbreak-coded behaviour yearn grew by +305% and then +170% over those same periods.
This is emotional literacy in action, with listeners using playlists to process what they feel without having to flatten it into one story.
Nigerian Gen Z is driving this change. Data points to a generation building a working vocabulary for modern relationships, one that allows confidence, tenderness, and uncertainty to exist side by side.
The Duality Generation
Among 18 to 24-year-olds on Valentine’s Day, nearly 60% of listeners skewed heartbreak, while almost 40% leaned into love. They are not choosing one emotion over another. They are holding both at once and building listening habits that reflect that complexity.
The pattern is visible across gender, too. Men accounted for over 65% in heartbreak and 61% in love song streaming, while women represented just over a third in both cases, showing that both groups are actively engaging the full emotional spectrum on the day.
Geographically, heartbreak listening is concentrated in urban centres, with Lagos leading, followed by Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and Benin. The map is culturally telling. Young Nigerians in major cities are using music as a live emotional archive of romance, ambiguity, and recovery.
Sharing the Feeling
Nigerians are not processing these emotions in isolation. Valentine’s Day 2025 was the “Blendiest” day in the preceding year, signalling peak shared listening behaviour through Spotify Blend. Partners, friends, and crushes used collaborative playlists to merge Afrobeats, street-pop, and R&B into shared mood spaces.
Top Blend tracks on the day included Fido’s Awolowo, Smur Lee’s, Shallipopi, ODUMODUBLVCK’s JUJU (with Smur Lee & Shallipopi), BNXN, Rema’s “Fi Kan We Kan,” and Rema’s “OZEBA.” In direct song shares, listeners chose emotionally direct records such as Future’s “WORST DAY,” Drake’s “GIVE ME A HUG, Asake’s “WHY LOVE”, Rema’s “Baby (Is it a Crime)”, and Drake’s “NOKIA”. The signal is clear: sharing is not just social behaviour, it is emotional communication.
Beyond Romance: Community, Friendships, and Faith
Valentine’s listening also shows Nigerians broadening the meaning of connection. Globally, Galentine playlist creation rose by over +70% year on year, with +20% growth already recorded this year. In Nigeria, this aligns with how friendship and peer support are increasingly central to how young listeners mark the day.
The podcast picture adds another cultural layer. Faith-based voices remained highly visible on 14 February, alongside relationship-centred conversations, reflecting a listening culture where romance, spirituality, and community wisdom coexist rather than compete.
Spotify also recorded a +20% increase in Valentine’s Day playlist creation globally in the latest comparable seasonal window, reinforcing that this period remains one of the strongest emotional moments in the listening calendar.
“Valentine’s Day in Nigeria is no longer a single-note romance moment. We are seeing listeners embrace love and heartbreak as equally valid emotional realities, and use music to move through both with honesty. What stands out is the confidence to name complex feelings and the willingness to share them with others,” says Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa.
This year’s Valentine’s data presents a portrait of a generation redefining connection: emotionally fluent, culturally hybrid, community-oriented, and unafraid of contradiction.
By Adedapo Adesanya
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered a temporary takeover of the famous music label, X3M Music Limited, owned by public relations guru, Mr Steve Babaeko, over unpaid debt to singer Mr Praise Adejo, popularly known as Praiz.
The court has appointed a provisional liquidator (a court-sanctioned manager) to seize control of all the label’s properties and bank accounts.
This followed a petition by Praiz, who is seeking to wind up the company over the claims of unpaid debt since the inception of his relationship with the label.
Praiz, a R&B musician, was formally signed to the label, and his music career hit the limelight after he finished second runner-up at the maiden season of Project Fame West Africa.
He is best known for releasing hit singles such as Rich and Famous, Sisi, and 69 with Burna Boy and Ikechukwu Killz. Under the record label, he released his debut album titled Rich & Famous in 2014, which received a nomination for the Album of the Year at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards as well as a nod for Best R&B/Pop Album and Album of the Year at the Headies 2015.
X3M Music Limited, founded by advertising executive Steve Babaeko, is a prominent Nigerian record label and the parent company of X3M Ideas, which was listed among Africa’s fastest-growing companies in 2025. X3M Music also formerly signed Simi and helped develop her artistic talent.
As of now, neither X3M Music nor Mr Babaeko has issued a formal response to the court order.
Africa Magic has announced the premiere of Employee of the Year, a compelling three-part romantic drama set to air from Thursday, February 12, to Saturday, February 14, 2026, on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv Channel 151, GOtv Channel 8).
Led by Mena Sodje in a standout performance as Nana, the movie features a strong supporting cast, including Daniel Abua, Doris Okorie, Nnamdi Agbo, Yemi Solade, and other notable actors. Together, they bring depth and emotional nuance to a story rooted in the high-pressure world of real estate, where power, loyalty, and desire often collide.
Employee of the Year follows Nana, a junior realtor struggling to rise above obscurity, whose life takes a dramatic turn when she uncovers a dangerous plot to burn down her company. Her bravery earns her recognition as an unlikely hero, but the victory is short-lived when she discovers that the conspiracy runs far deeper than she imagined.
As the story intensifies, Nana learns the true mastermind behind the scheme, who then presents her with a chilling offer: her dream promotion in exchange for carrying out the very crime she once stopped. Caught between ambition and conscience, Nana must confront the cost of success and decide what kind of future she is willing to build.
With its mix of romance, suspense, and corporate drama, Employee of the Year explores the moral compromises often hidden behind professional success. The three-part movie will air exclusively on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv Channel 15, GOtv Channel 81) from February 12 –14, 2026.
Be sure to also take advantage of the ongoing We Got You offer, where you pay for your current package and DStv/GOtv upgrades you to the next higher package at no extra cost. The offer runs till February 28th, 2026.
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