Davido Slams Rarara, Urges Nigerians to Break Silence on Insecurity

Renowned Afrobeat artist, David Adeleke, globally known as Davido, has issued a direct challenge to celebrated Hausa musician Dauda Rarara, urging him to publicly condemn Nigeria's escalating security challenges. Davido emphasized that a lack of outspokenness and allegiance to political factions merely intensifies the nation's existing difficulties.

This public dispute originated from Davido's performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Countdown Concert held in Los Angeles on June 10. During his appearance, the music star donned a specially designed jacket adorned with the phrase 'Bring Them Home', accompanied by the names of more than 40 students and educators who were kidnapped on May 15 from the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Following this, Rarara released a video on his verified Facebook page, lambasting Davido's action as 'barbaric'. Rarara argued that such a display risked tarnishing Nigeria's global reputation and suggested the issue was being exploited for political gain. He stated, “I do not usually reply or react to issues like this, but what Davido did was barbaric. In my opinion, Davido and those who share his way of thinking are only behaving foolishly. How can you promote Ansaru terrorists or insecurity-related issues to the whole world? How can you take a sensitive national security issue and project it to the world in a way that could damage the country’s image? What exactly do you stand to gain from doing that? Davido took the names of abducted schoolchildren in Oyo State, wrote them on the Nigerian flag and displayed it in America. What was the purpose? What did he hope to achieve? Or was it because he had turned the matter into politics?”

Rarara further questioned Davido's motives, implying they were driven by political interests and cautioning against internationalizing sensitive security matters. He continued, “Is it because his uncle is contesting an election on Accord Party and Tinubu is in APC? Is that why insecurity must become a campaign tool? Anyone who campaigns with insecurity is insane, because he does not fully understand what it entails. What Davido did is similar to removing his own mother’s wrapper, taking a photograph of her and travelling to America to display it for the whole world to see, only to ask people to help cover her up again. What kind of thinking is that? Insecurity is not something people should casually jump into. There are facts and circumstances that ordinary members of the public may not know. Before speaking on such matters, one should understand the situation properly. Did Davido know the reason behind the abduction of those schoolchildren? Some terrorists were arrested. When efforts to secure their release failed, the kingpins kidnapped innocent people in an attempt to force the authorities to negotiate. The President and security agencies had vowed that the terrorists would not be released and that the children would be rescued. It was during this delicate period that Davido chose to embarrass us on a global stage. You cannot go to China and promote issues the authorities do not want promoted. The same applies in many other countries. There are limits. But some of our content creators continue to promote narratives that, in my opinion, end up helping terrorists. Some content creators do not understand the implications of what they are doing, while others do. Some are sponsored by politicians, while others are simply chasing engagement and followers.”

Davido responded to Rarara's criticisms on X (formerly Twitter) by quoting Rarara’s post and simply writing, “Debidooo,” seemingly mocking the Hausa singer's pronunciation of his name. Rarara retorted with the Hausa phrase “Kashiga taitayinka,” a derogatory expression urging Davido to regain his senses.

Davido then fired back, saying, “Da ace kana da ilimi da na tsaya nayi magana dakai. Ama komai baka sani ba, sakarai kawai,” which translates to English as, “If only you had knowledge, I would have stopped to speak with you. But you know nothing, just a fool.”

In a subsequent statement, initially shared in Hausa and later translated, Davido reiterated that Nigerians must not remain silent in the face of ongoing insecurity. He stressed that genuine patriotism demands speaking out, irrespective of political affiliations. He stated, “Da farko, duk wanda yake da kishin Najeriya ba zai yi shiru kan matsalar rashin tsaro da ke addabar ƙasa ba, kuma ba zai hana wasu bayyana damuwarsu a kai ba. Rashin tausayi da fifita son rai ko zama karen en siyasa , da fifita son rai fiye da muradun al’umma ba abin alfahari ba ne. Ka kasance mai kishin ƙasarka, ka daina fifita siyasa a kan gaskiya, sannan ka ji tsoron Allah a cikin duk abin da kake yi #kahuturarara.” This translates to, “Damn it, every Nigerian should not stay silent about the insecurity plaguing the nation, nor should they prevent others from voicing their concerns openly.” He further added that prioritizing political interests over the collective welfare of the nation was detrimental to the country's progress, stating, “Showing bias and prioritizing personal or political interests, and putting personal desires above the community’s goals, is nothing to be proud of. Be a patriot for your country, stop prioritizing politics over the truth, and fear God in everything you do.”