Renowned Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has advised Nigerian Afrobeat star, Davido, to disregard demands for an apology over the controversial music video he shared on his social media platforms.
The release of the music video for ‘Jaye Lo,’ by Davido Music Worldwide label boss and his signee, Olamilekan Taiwo, aka Logos Olori, caused a stir online, eliciting mixed reactions from netizens.
A 45-second clip from the video posted on Instagram by Davido received criticism, with some Muslim devotees considering it offensive and now calling for a retraction, along with threats of a lawsuit against the artists
The scene that sparked controversy depicted men dancing in front of a mosque instead of praying, which was deemed offensive by some Muslim devotees.
Although Davido deleted the video within forty-eight hours of posting it, some Muslims are still demanding a public apology from him.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday, Soyinka expressed that Davido owes no apology to the Muslim community.
The literary icon pointed out that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai, had made offensive comments against Christians in the past but was never asked to apologize.
He emphasized, “There was nothing to apologize about, and that applied equally to El Rufai’s comments at the time. It should come as no surprise that I equally absolutely disagree with Shehu Sani if indeed, as reported, he has demanded an apology from Davido on behalf of the Muslim community.”
Soyinka further highlighted that it was not Davido’s music that resulted in the tragic death of Deborah Yakubu, a second-year Christian college student who was killed by a mob of Muslim students in Sokoto last year over alleged blasphemy.
