‘Lori iro’ challenge: Using social media to question societal ills

BY EMMANUEL DARALOYE

Two years ago, Kizz Daniel, Nigerian singer, released a tribute to his former girlfriend. He titled the track ‘Fuvk You’ with a free verse to go along with it. A few hours after the release, the internet was bombarded with tales from artistes on the wrong and distasteful things they suffered from their ex-girlfriends before they attained fame. Majority of the revelations showed that most of the break-ups happened due to their poor condition at the time. 

Through the song, old wounds were reopened and bitter memories recalled. It showed the affected men have not forgiven their former lovers. The women were also not left out of the tirade. They released their own version with Tiwa Savage, Simi, Toby Grey among others doing a cover of the song.

Fast forward to 2021, I hold the view that Kizz Daniel’s ‘Fuvk You’ was more than a record.  It was a revealer. Not even money or stardom could hide the bitterness in the minds of the artistes. The fans were not left out of this. In the comment section, a lot of them bared lurid details of their stories bordering on betrayal and disappointment in their previous relationships.

During the week, a short video surfaced on the internet wherein Gbadamosi Ismail, a street preacher, was seen spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The evangelist had cautioned people, especially lovers, to be wary of their partners who say things they don’t mean, ending each sentence with ‘lori iro’ — a phrase in the Yoruba language which means on top of a lie.

The timing of this video is very sensitive, considering it came few days to this year’s Valentine’s Day celebration. This is a period usually characterised by deceits of various kinds. It is not uncommon during such season to see some guys feigning to be romantic and borrowing words from King Solomon or William Shakespeare just to win the hearts of their lovers.

The ‘lori iro’ challenge has, however, continued to stir heated discussions on social media platforms, with many Nigerians sharing their experiences using the phrase. Going through the truckload of posts and comments, one thing can be deduced. A lot of those who commented are not happy. They felt cheated, some of them still struggling to move on from the past.

With the help of ‘lori Iro, several guys and ladies have been trying to settle scores with their former lovers.

Even the government of the day was not left out of the vile and snide comments. They were reminded of their promises in 2015 ranging from tackling insecurity to provision of employment opportunities for the teeming Nigerian youths.

Motivational speakers, who are fond of making seemingly unrealistic claims, also faced heated backlash.

You wonder what could have happened to all these thoughts if the ‘lori Iro’ video did not surface. Don’t you think this preacher was God’s sent?

He just gave the people the courage to open up. It is no gainsaying that we are not expressive in this part of the world. We are ‘coded’, let me use the street language. We bottle our emotions for fear of what people would say.

With the help of social media, ‘lori iro’ has continued to generate reactions. People are talking while artistes are also recording songs to make money off the trend. Isn’t this a good time?

Emmanuel Daraloye is a Music Journalist and a Pop Culture Curator.