Apart from oil, which has since been Nigeria’s major export to the international market as a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Export Countries (OPEC), entertainment has now risen to prominence as Nigeria’s second export arguably pushing football to the third position. And doing Nigeria proud in global entertainment stage are a generation of young Nigerian music megastars, who, day in and day out, churn out lyrics which win for them thousands of fans locally and beyond the shores of Nigeria.
After weeks of a sustained media update of his concert at the famous 02 Arena in London, the Nigerian wave-making Davido (David Adedeji Adeleke) made a historic appearance before a 20, 000 audience. That was on March 5, 2022.
Mindful of the significance of that show to his international image and rating on the table of globally recognized musicians after his maiden appearance in January 2019, Davido literally electrified the arena with a number of his hit tracks such as Aye, Dami Duro, Gobe and Skelewu. His fans who watched him live could not but scream and dance and pour praises on him for assuaging their long thirst for him.
Additional reports have it that Davido thrilled his exhilarated fans with his ‘IF and Fall, as well as his High performed with Adekunle Gold. He also performed ‘Champion Sound’ with South Africa’s Focalistic.
Also in his company to 02 Arena was a list which included Mayorkun, Zlatan, CKay, Patoranking, Teni, Pheelz, Victony, Yung Bleu, Russ Millions, Eniola Badamus, Cubana Chief Priest, Not3s and Tion Wayne.
He was particularly wowed by the conspicuous presence of his children, who watched in awe how their father was turning on such a large number of people in the arena. Unable to contain his joy, Davido remarked on his Instagram, “My daughters are here!!! I’m too hype!!
He also expressed gratitude to his fans at the concert, saying “Success occurs when your dreams get bigger than excuses! Full bowl sold out. I’m posting videos all week!! Electrifying!! Thank you, London and everyone that came out to rock with us. Tour dates on the way!”
A Manchester-based Nigerian, Mr. Tayo Mustafa has lauded Davido for the progress he has made in his career as evident in his 02 Arena successful outing. Mustafa, who said he could have made it to the concert, acknowledged Nigeria’s top position amongst African countries on the stage of entertainment and sports.
“Davido’s performance at 02 Arena was a positive developmental stride for not only him but for Nigeria’s contemporary music industry. I see it more as a PR platform for Nigeria and Nigerians, despite our current challenges. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s music industry as well as our government are yet to leverage on this for its full potential exploration and exploitation. Going forward, I would suggest a more ‘wholistic’ Pan Nigeria artistic/music exhibition cutting across board to include traditional, hip hop, afro, etc,” he said.
