Barely two years after Oriyomi Hamzat, CEO of Agidigbo 88.7 FM in Ibadan, Oyo State, banned the songs of Marlian Music founder Azeez “Naira Marley” Fashola from being played on the station, he has now reversed the decision.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mr Hamzat placed a ban on all songs by Naira Marley from being played on his station following the artiste’s alleged involvement in the death of his former signee, Ilerioluwa “Mohbad” Aloba.
Mohbad, the “KPK” crooner, died on 12 September 2023 at the age of 27, with widespread accusations directed at the 34-year-old Naira Marley, which prompted an investigation into the circumstances of his death.
However, a Magistrate Court sitting in Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, later ruled that Naira Marley, music promoter Samson ‘Sam Larry’ Eletu, the singer’s childhood friend, Owodunni ‘Primeboy’ Ibrahim, and his former manager, Opere Babatunde, were not in any way responsible for Mohbad’s demise.
Reversal
Speaking during his programme “Alabaromi” on Monday, Mr Hamzat clarified that he held no personal grudges against the “Aye” crooner, stressing that his decision to impose the ban was guided by the sanctity of human life.
Announcing the reversal of the ban, he said, “I gave the order that Naira Marley’s songs should not be played on Agidigbo FM at the time. However, when his songs were not played, we also felt hurt because we enjoyed them. But our decision was about valuing life, especially as there was an ongoing investigation, and we all heard what the police were saying then.
“When the matter got to where it is now, we realised our action had no real impact. Whether or not we played his songs did not stop Naira Marley from progressing in his career or selling his music. To show that we are not his enemies, we made it clear we did not quarrel with him, nor did we wish him any harm. He also never did us any wrong. We prayed for God to grant Mohbad peaceful rest, and for everyone who commented on his death, may God answer their prayers accordingly.”
‘Never accused him of murder’
Mr Hamzat clarified that he never accused Naira Marley of murder or being engaged in any unlawful act.
He added that no parent ever wished to lose a child, stressing, “I prayed that God would never allow us to mourn any of our children.”
“On this note, Agidigbo 88.7 FM has lifted the ban on his songs. My staff who handle entertainment programmes can now resume playing them. Some people suggested I should apologise to him, but I asked: did he ever say I offended him? We never fought or had issues, except that I instructed his songs not to be played.
“I never said he committed murder or did anything illegal. Normally, you apologise when you have a quarrel or exchange harsh words with someone. Now, at Agidigbo FM, we have lifted the ban. From today onwards, Naira Marley’s songs will be played on our station”, he said.
After making the announcement, Mr Hamzat marked the moment by playing Naira Marley’s 2019 hit “Tesumole” from the “Lord of Lamba” album.
At the time of filing this report, the singer hasn’t responded to the lifting of the ban on his songs on Agidigbo FM.
Meanwhile, the “Issa Goal” crooner announced on his social media pages that he would share his side of the story concerning Mohbad’s death by 8:00 PM today (Tuesday) on the Marlian Music YouTube channel.