Davido is a household name in Nigeria and around the world. Born David Adedeji Adeleke on November 21, 1992, in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States of America, he hails from Osun State, Nigeria. A singer, songwriter, and producer, he has impacted significantly the music industry in Nigeria and the African continent generally.
He has been one of the dominant personalities in the global music scene since 2009, after his first public appearance with KB International. A graduate of Babcock University, the superstar established the Davido Music Word-wide (DMW) label, in furtherance of his vision in the entertainment industry. He has received several awards, including the Officer of the Order of The Niger (OON), conferred on him by former president, Muhammadu Buhari. Davido is married to Chioma Rowland. He is blessed with children.
In addition to the successes and accolades recorded in his music career, he is imbued with the spirit of philanthropy. He founded the David Adeleke Foundation (DAF), which he has used to provide aid to children in orphanages in Nigeria. He formed a five-member committee under the chairmanship of Titi Adebayo to disburse the funds.
In 2022, the Nigerian superstar distributed N250 million to 292 orphanages in Nigeria. In 2023, 13,818 children benefited from the N237 million disbursed to 424 orphanages by Davido’s Foundation. A statement by the music icon on his social media platform said;
The David Adeleke Foundation (DAF) has donated the sum of N237,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven Million Naira) to orphanages throughout Nigeria.
The distribution of donation funds was led by the chair of the DAF Disbursement Committee, Mrs. Titi Adebayo. The foundation successfully distributed funds to 424 (Four Hundred and Twenty-F) orphanages, benefiting 13,818 (Thirteen Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighteen) children.
I founded the DAF in 2022 with a strong desire and passion to continually assist others and create a proper framework for ongoing charitable works to benefit the good people of Nigeria. Throughout this foundation, we have raised millions of Naira and disbursed much-needed funds to hundreds of orphanages, significantly improving the lives of countless children.
Seeing the impact and success of my previous donations, particularly in 2021 after my birthday, left a mark on my heart, and reading the numerous letters and messages from everyone who received this donation has reaffirmed my commitment to assist the less privileged in any capacity continually. It motivated me to establish the DAF to execute our mission effectively.
Despite his numerous successes, the music icon has also been embroiled in controversies. Recently, two women, Anita Brown and Ivanna Bay, claimed that Davido has impregnated them. On July 21, the music star and proprietor of DMW label released the video clip of a new record titled ‘Jaye Lo’ by his signee, Olamilekan Taiwo, also known as Logos Olori on social media. The video contained scenes of men clad in Muslim outfits, dancing in front of a mosque. The video was labeled offensive by Muslim adherents, who berated him for insulting their religion.
Several Muslim leaders and devotees then called on him to remove it and apologize to Muslims for an act they regarded as sacrilegious and disrespectful to their religion. As is common in every situation in Nigeria, this quickly became a source of huge controversy. Many people took to social media, expressing divergent opinions over the propriety or otherwise of the video
Tempers quickly flared. Some devotees barred him from setting foot in the North. Muslim youths in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State took to the streets over the said video which they considered offensive and demeaning. The angry youths demonstrated their disapproval of the video, considered distasteful to their religion by burning a large banner of Davido. They accused him of egotism and pomposity.
Davido ultimately yielded to the pressure and criticisms and expunged the video two days later. However, he did not apologize.
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