Weekend Arena - 2Baba ,His Baby Mamas And The Reason He Married Annie...

Which man suffering from inferiority complex would serially impregnate a string of successful women? Some not once, but twice?

I love Innocent Idibia as much as I love 2Baba. The two personalities have resoundingly radiated one virtue I admire greatly in people: humility. 

When you crisscross the creative industry, where stardom is the license to wealth and wellbeing, you will understand why humility is such a priced attribute, when defining a successful artiste. 2Baba does not just have it; humility wafts from him!

Lacing it appropriately with talent has placed him at the zenith of his career, and he is poised to remain there for long, because he does his thing effortlessly from within.

When the story of an interview he granted DJ Anyaloko about his choice of wife made the rounds some days ago, I knew it was going to generate a lot of analyses. He was quoted to have said: “You see Annie is from an average background like myself. We both started from nothing. She stuck by me through it all. When there was no car she hopped on bikes, took the bus and trekked with me. When there was no money or house or hit song or millions of albums sold or big awards and accolades. When I used to repeat just 3 sets of clothes, she would always hold my head, look me in the eyes and tell me things will be fine one day. When I wasn’t handsome, she would call me her prince charming. When I wasn’t celebrated, she called me her king and said she is my number one fan and to this day, she still is. Now if am still that small boy struggling to make it like every other young chap on the streets of Lagos, do you think a doctor, a lawyer and a multi-millionaire business woman would want to look at me or even have my kids? No, so to answer your question, I did not chose who had more to offer me, I chose Annie because she offered me her all when we had very little”.



This naturally did not go down well with some people for obvious reasons. Several interpretations were given to his gesture and stance as it got reposted on a number of timelines on the social media. Some (including those probably married as fifth wives) chastised Annie Macaulay for accepting him back when it was obvious he had cheated on her. Some called him ‘insecure’, a man with inferiority complex, who lacks what it takes to date very successful women, as exemplified by the baby-mamas. Some praised the baby-mamas for proving to the world that there was life beyond 2Baba by succeeding against all odds. In the shadow of these responses, you could see where everyone’s interest or grouse was hidden.

But the guy has made his choice with seemingly plausible reasons!

Yes, the baby-mamas may have, by virtue of genealogy, connection or sheer hard work made so much money; it does not in any way diminish the achievements of Annie Macaulay, who does not stand at Obalende Bridge to beg for alms in order to survive. She is by all standards accomplished in her career as well.

That she probably worked a little harder, as it seems, in order to build her relationship which metamorphosed into marriage does not in any way make her unsuccessful like those pundits were propounding. Those pundits should learn to appreciate that one can successfully combine feminism, good marriage and impressive career growth. It is a choice buoyed by effective communication amongst spouses. Simple.

I remember when her family was hired for a certain commercial for a very popular brand I was involved in. She pushed to have the story board of the commercial modified to accommodate her children and step-children; instead of 2 kids, like most commercials show us, the advert ended up with more children in the family. A lot of these pundits won’t bat an eyelid if presented with this scenario, without knowing it is a formidable test for homemaking skills.

This makes one wonder where the inferiority complex being projected on those timelines about 2Baba lies. Which man suffering from inferiority complex would serially impregnate a string of successful women? Some not once, but twice?


May be we should examine inferiority complex against the reality of being a singer on a stage. Most people at various stages of their lives dreamt of being musicians or at least recording songs. Some would start in the bathroom and transform to writing down these songs, to may be, getting them recorded in a studio. But we all know the kind of energy required to push a career in music, especially when one is coming from a less-privileged background. E no easy at all. Someone who cannot muster the right dose of energy and confidence cannot do it. In fact, if there is a place where inferiority complex is thrown out of the window to pave way for success, it is in music, where every line of one’s lyrics is relayed to prove self-worth.

May be 2Baba was living up to the name of his initial band: Plantashun Boiz (Plantation Boys), as in boys who are out to ‘plant’. Is there any farm to plant in Lagos with flyovers, bridges and high-rises? No. So he ‘planted’ in the farms made available by these baby-mamas. 

Thank God, it is a thing of joy today for all involved.

*Nice One Ngozi the Mgbafor,I like how you entered each plot and demolished it....Kudos for the nice writeup!