In a recent turn of events, renowned Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has come forward to defend popular singer Davido over a video he released on his social media handles, which seemed to have sparked controversy surrounding the Muslim faith.
The video in question featured a clip from the music video of Davido’s signee, Logos Olori’s new single ‘Jaye Lo,’ wherein people were seen praying and dancing in front of a mosque.
This led to Davido facing severe criticism, prompting him to eventually take down the video, although he remained firm in his decision not to apologize.
Despite the video being removed, certain members of the Muslim community still demanded a public apology from Davido. This outcry even culminated in a group of Muslim youths taking to the streets of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, to express their displeasure, setting a large banner of the singer on fire.
However, Prof. Wole Soyinka, in a statement released on Tuesday, firmly asserted that Davido owes no apology to the Muslim community. In his defense of the singer, Soyinka pointed out that even the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai, had made derogatory comments against Christians in the past but was never asked to apologize.
“There was nothing to apologize about, and that applied equally to El Rufai’s comments at the time,” Soyinka stated. He further expressed disagreement with Shehu Sani, who was reported to have demanded an apology from Davido on behalf of the Muslim community.
“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 said.
“No apology is required, None should be offered. “Let us stop battening down our heads in the mush of contrived contrition – we know where contrition, apology, and restitution remain clamorous in the cause of closure and above all – justice. Such apologies have not been forthcoming. In their place, we have the ascendancy of petulant censorship in the dance and music departments. Just where will it end?” Soyinka questioned.
He also emphasized that it was essential to differentiate between Davido’s music and the tragic incident in Sokoto, where Deborah Yakubu, a second-year Christian college student, was lynched by a mob of Muslim students last year over alleged blasphemy.
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