Nigeria’s award winning singer, Davido has been accused of releasing his hit single ‘FEM’ for use by #EndSARS street protesters.
He has however, denied working on the album for that purpose saying it was released at least one month before the protests.
According to him, the song became the theme music for the occasion just because it resonated with the feelings of the demonstrators at the time.
Nigerian youths had thronged the streets of major cities in October 2020 to campaign against the senseless brutality meted out to them by the now disbanded Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu whom the Jagaban of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu considers a youth, had come out to join the youths who defied the SARS ban to remain on the streets.
Sanwo-Olu’s purpose was to calm nerves and appeal to the youths to return home as government was already addressing their grievances.
Seconds after he started speaking, the DJ activated the ‘FEM’ track with which the youths shut the Governor up as they sang along dancing away.
Frustrated and unable to speak further, the governor stepped down from the podium and left the protest.
Speaking to the Rolling Stone, an American magazine, Davido insisted ‘FEM’ was released before the protests.
He added that it has become the song used by Nigerians to express anger and frustration with happenings in the country.
Davido told Rolling Stone that he is happy to see Nigerians finally rise up against oppression.
Excerpts of Davido’s interview with Rolling Stone:
Question: Tell us about your single ‘FEM’ and how that became a protest song for the #EndSARS movement.
“Yo, crazy. I didnβt even make that song thinking all that was going to happen. I dropped the record like a month before the protests started, and it just fell in tune to what people were feeling at the time. It just kept on going, and going, and going, and going. And then funny enough, it kind of became the protest song.
“I remember walking into a government building and [the officals were] like, βAh, Davido, I heard you had gone to make your song for us.β Like, no, no, no, no. I was like, βNah, I dropped that record before.β
“Itβs crazy how everything fell into place. I canβt say Iβm happy that us Nigerians have been pushed to the wall to be protesting, but also I can say that Iβm pleased to have my song be a tool and a voice for them to just spill out their anger and just release stress. It was a good feeling.”
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Davido Accused of Releasing ‘FEM’ for #EndSARS Street Protests