South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her APOP World Tour, as calls for a boycott of her planned concert in Nigeria intensified.
A check of the singer’s official tour website showed that the Lagos stop, previously scheduled for December 22, had been removed from the tour itinerary.
Recall that NPO reported that she had announced the APOP World Tour with Lagos listed as the only Nigerian stop before the tour concluded with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.
The announcement was trailed with different views as many Nigerians expressed opposing views over whether the concert should proceed following reports of fresh xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Some social media users argued that South African artistes should not be allowed to perform in Nigeria while Nigerians were being attacked in South Africa.
Others, however, maintained that entertainers should not be held responsible for political or social tensions between the two countries.
Social media activist Martins Otse, fondly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his Ratel Movement to prevent the concert from taking place as he declared that the concert will not take place.
Media personality, Solomon Buchi also joined calls for Nigerians to boycott the concert.
Meanwhile, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the campaign, arguing that Tyla should not be blamed for acts of xenophobia.
“Nigerians should direct their anger at their real enemies. No one should hold a talented musician like Tyla vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia,” Sowore said.
NPO reports that the boycott comes amid concerns over the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa following reports of xenophobic attacks and the deaths of Nigerian nationals.