Many Nigerian celebrities have reacted to Nigerian Afrobeat superstar David Adeleke, known as Davido, following the comment he made during a recent interview.
The American-born Nigerian superstar appeared on the ‘The Big Homies House’ podcast where he shared his thoughts regarding people who may want to relocate back to Africa from America.
The ‘Awuke’ crooner discouraged people saying that Nigeria’s economy is currently in shambles and things are not going well.
“Leave America and go where? Let’s be honest! Go back where? It’s not cool back home. My country now is in. . .the economy is in shambles. I do my part, I’m an ambassador. When I go home and I’m filming, I’m not going to show the bad parts. I go to the trenches but I’m talking about the situation in the country.
“We Nigerians, like now the exchange rate is messed up, a lot of stuff are not going well, the economy is just not good. The oil prices are too high, and imagine a country that produces oil, we produce the oil and we pay more money for oil than a country that’s importing oil.
“There’s stuff like that, but regardless, entertainment is one of the things that’s made Africa look good. We do not have the best leaders, that’s a fact,” he said.
Davido’s statement irked a number of notable figures including Reno Omokri, Patrick Doyle, Joe Igbokwe, and TVC presenter Nyma Akashat-Zibiri, who have expressed displeasure over the statement on social media and beyond.
Reacting, veteran Nollywood actor Patrick Doyle on his Facebook page said: “You have to be incredibly dense to ask foreigners not to visit a country where your father has a $2 Billion Dollar power generation investment. Some persons ought to know much better.”
Taking to his X page, Reno Omokri wrote, “David Adeleke displayed ignorance and a lack of patriotism with that statement on a globally renowned podcast like The Big Homies House.
“Even worse, he said, ‘We do not have the best leader; that is a fact.’ It isn’t enjoyable for a young man whose uncle is a governor and should know better.”
Also taking to his Facebook page, Mr Igbokwe demanded that Davido retract his statement, calling it unfair and damaging.
He wrote: “My In-law Davido has made me sad by telling the world in America that Nigeria’s economy is in shambles.”
