Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has defended his decision to wear pins bearing the names of 39 abducted children and seven teachers during his performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup event, saying Nigeria’s image should never take precedence over the safety of innocent children.
Speaking in an interview with Focus on Africa host Waihiga Mwaura, the singer said he used his global platform to draw attention to the plight of the victims because they remain missing.
“Many people don’t really want to talk about what goes on in my country simply because they want to protect the image, but there’s no image to protect if little kids are being kidnapped,” Davido said.
He clarified that while he was honored to perform at the World Cup event, he believed it was equally important to highlight the security challenges facing Nigeria.
“As much as I was happy to do the World Cup, we also have to understand that there are things going on back home in our country, which we have the power to let the world know through our own means,” he said.
Davido also noted that music and live performances provide him with a platform to amplify issues affecting Nigerians.
“When I say our own means, where’s my power? My power is in music and performances. We have these students that have been missing and are still not found. So yeah, I use my platform to project what’s really going on,” he said.
