Pop star, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, is at the centre of intense public scrutiny following his performance at a recent concert.
Rendering a song which he titled, ‘Toto Mechanic’, the ‘African Queen’ crooner sang, “Baby, no panic eh/I be toto mechanic eh/no panic eh/I be toto mechanic eh/I just wan dey make your puna flenjo/I want to make your puna flenjo/When I finish with you/I go be your vibrator vendor/Gentleness/Ruggedness/Anyhow that you want it/Girl, I got it/Come and take it/Don’t be shy..”
“Toto” is a slang that is often used to mean “vagina”.
However, the performance was greeted with mixed reactions, with many people stating that the singer seemed to be in a downward spiral.
So This Happened (EP 258)
A TikTok user, Sharon Wasem, wrote, “We never loved him because he was singing this rubbish; we did because he always made sense, and always respected himself, but what is this, pls?
“2baba, learn from your big brother, the legendary Bongos Ikwe. When his name is mentioned, the youth go on bended knees. How do you rubbish all that you worked so hard for? Where’s the sense pls.”
Another fan, Ifeoma, wrote, “I’ve been following 2baba for years. This new song doesn’t feel like him. It’s disjointed, like he’s going through something and just threw it out there.”
Echoing Ifeoma’s thoughts, yet another fan, Michael, stated that the lyrics of the song appear erratic and incoherent, “lacking the depth and poetic resonance that once defined his music”. He added that it seemed to be more a rushed attempt to stay relevant amid personal turmoil, rather than a true artistic expression.
In a similar vein, a concertgoer alleged that at a recent event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, “the singer appeared late on stage, looking tired, unkempt, and at times visibly disoriented”.
“He was slurring his words and forgot the lyrics to ‘African Queen’. It was painful to watch,” he alleged.
In January 2025, 2baba had announced that he had separated from his estranged wife, Annie Idibia (nee Macaulay). Soon after, he informed the public that he was now engaged to a member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Natasha Osawaru.
Since he announced their engagement, the couple has been seen together shopping, partying and visiting different places, including the Edo Assembly.
This led many of the singer’s fans, including controversial social media personality— Very Dark Man— to state that he was losing his star power. According to VDM, by being in places where he ordinarily shouldn’t be, many people had started to look down on him.
Indeed, the once-beloved crooner, who has long been admired for his soulful lyrics and calm persona, has given many of his fans growing cause for concern.
A Facebook fan, Isaac Alare, was also of the opinion that since his separation from Annie, the singer usually looked dishevelled and withdrawn.
Meanwhile, the singer’s mum had also made a video calling on Natasha to “release” her son. She said, “I’m calling on all mothers in Nigeria to help me beg Natasha to free my son. My son is going through a divorce process, and he is clearly not in his right senses now. I know my son, and this is not him. Please Natasha, the bead you put on his hand and neck, remove them.”
However, making a joke in apparent reference to his mum’s pleas, the singer recently stated that he was trying to make enough money to pay his “kidnappers”, so he could be released to go home.
