Davido, Nigerian musician, says he will donate $600,000 to charity after calling online
Known for his songs “Dami Duro” and “Fall”, Davido has been one of the most prominent African artists of the past decade and is the African artist with the highest number of followers on Instagram.
Ten minutes later, he’s raised $17,000 – and on Saturday he announced the entire amount he’s received from fans and celebrity friends is more than $485,000 and will be used for charity purposes.
“In my usual playful style, a few days ago I asked friends and colleagues to send me money for my birthday,” Davido wrote in a statement. “The response and results exceeded my expectations.”
The musician, whose real name is David Adeleke, will turn 29 on November 21. He said his aim now is “to raise money every year to celebrate my birthday and give back to those in need. .”
He said he would also make a personal donation of $120,000, or 50 million naira, and named a disbursement committee that would identify orphanages in need of funding and distribute the funds accordingly.
The initial appeal for donations confused fans, many of whom contributed – but there was also criticism from social media users who suggested that a celebrity’s self-funded donation was inappropriate, especially given the level of poverty in Nigeria.
Davido posted regular fundraising updates throughout Wednesday and Thursday, and some of his celebrity friends jumped in as well. Nigerian rapper MI Abaga said he sent 1 million naira and wrote: “I want to have my own hit song with Davido.”
“I’m really crying,” the singer wrote after $163,000 was deposited into his account. “I really love you guys.”
Davido first suggested that he “could give it all away” Friday afternoon, and later that day he released the music video for his new single “Champion Sound,” which features the rapper. South Africa Focalistic.