Nigerian music sensation, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has taken down the highly controversial music video of his artist, Logos Olori, following a wave of intense backlash on social media.
On Saturday, Davido faced heavy criticism from many Muslims on Twitter after he posted a 45-second trailer clip of Logos Olori’s upcoming music video. The video, deemed offensive by numerous Muslim commentators, portrayed a group of men seemingly engaged in a Muslim prayer session, suddenly transitioning into dancing and singing.
Accusations were hurled at the singer, stating that he disrespected Islam by blending religious rites and rituals with music and dance. Demands for him to delete the video and issue an apology echoed across social media.
Prominent Nigerian celebrities like Bashir Ahmad and Ali Nuhu were particularly vocal about their disapproval.
Ahmad, a former aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed his concerns through a tweet: “There are many reasons why every Muslim finds this content disrespectful, hurtful and offensive @davido. I assume you all know that we Muslims don’t mix our religion with jokes in any way, especially Salah (prayer), which is sacred and the second of the five pillars of Islam.
“In Salah, Muslims remember our Lord, Allah, express our love and respect for Him and invoke and strive to express our gratitude towards Him. The notion is that the Salah activity brings the individual face-to-face with God. That is what we believe, and that is our faith. Please respect it. No Muslim will find it as an hohonourr acceptable.”
Kanywood star, Nuhu, in a post via his verified Instagram account, advised the singer to respect other people’s ‘religion, culture and tradition.”
He wrote, “I just came across the controversial video by @davido, as much we want to be creative in our various fields, we should learn to respect other people’s religion, culture and tradition.
“This is unacceptable in Islam. You should pull down that video and apologise for hurting the entire Muslim ummah.”
Also, Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker, advised the singer to delete the video.
In a tweet on Sunday, Sani wrote: “As an artist or entertainer, if your fans feel offended by a piece or portion of your work, especially as it concerns their culture, faith, or religious beliefs, it will be most honourable for you to delete or edit that portion, apologise to them, and move on. I’m here talking about Davido. This is my own opinion.”
After facing significant backlash and remaining relatively silent on the issue without making any formal apology, Davido has finally succumbed to pressure and deleted the controversial video. The musician removed the video two days after the heated criticism.
