Keypoints:
- First lady appeals for structured celebrity giving
- Davido already runs a charitable foundation
- Nigeria faces a severe food emergency
NIGERIA’S First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has urged leading Afrobeats musicians Burna Boy, Davido and Asake to direct more of their wealth towards helping poor Nigerians, saying the scale of need has placed a heavy burden on government.
Her appeal, made during the launch of a community food bank in Kogi State, has reopened a wider question about the role of private philanthropy in confronting hardship — and whether celebrity giving should complement, rather than compensate for, the state’s social responsibilities.
Appeal made at food bank launch
Tinubu spoke on Saturday, July 11, 2026, while commissioning the National Community Food Bank Project for Nigeria’s North-Central region in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
She cited Senegalese-American musician Akon as an example of an entertainer associated with charitable work and encouraged Nigeria’s biggest music stars to establish or strengthen foundations supporting vulnerable people.
‘The Burna Boys of this world, Asake, all of them, Davido — we want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money,’ she said.
Tinubu added that luxury cars were legitimate rewards for success but should not prevent wealthy entertainers from supporting disadvantaged citizens.
‘Good cars are good; a Maybach is good. Rolls-Royce is good, but still you can help. The burden on the government is huge,’ she said.
Support announced for petty traders
During the visit, Tinubu announced that the Renewed Hope Initiative had provided ₦100m (approximately $72,342) to support 2,000 petty traders in Kogi State.
Each beneficiary is expected to receive ₦50,000 to recapitalise an existing small business. The Federal Ministry of Information said the first lady also commissioned health insurance and state treasury facilities during her working visit.
Tinubu urged Nigerians not to despise legitimate work, arguing that small-scale trading could provide income and create employment when properly supported. That concern reflects Africa Briefing’s examination of Nigeria’s worsening work and social-protection crisis.
Existing philanthropy adds context
The appeal requires important context because Davido already operates the David Adeleke Foundation, which has made substantial donations to orphanages across Nigeria.
In 2023, Davido said the foundation distributed ₦237m to 424 orphanages. He announced a further ₦300m pledge for orphanages in February 2024, describing it as an annual contribution to the country.
That record does not invalidate Tinubu’s broader call for wealthy Nigerians to support vulnerable communities. It does, however, mean the musicians named should not be portrayed collectively as having ignored charitable work.
The personal wealth of Burna Boy, Davido and Asake is not publicly documented through audited disclosures. Unverified internet estimates of their net worth therefore offer little reliable evidence of how much each musician can afford to donate.
Hunger crisis raises the stakes
The launch comes as Nigeria faces a severe food emergency. FAO projects that 34.7m people could experience crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity by mid-2026, including more than 5.4m acutely malnourished children.
The agency’s 2026–2028 emergency plan covers Kogi and other states across Nigeria’s north-central, north-western and north-eastern regions.
The emergency also highlights Nigeria’s longer-term struggle with food production and affordability. Africa Briefing has examined concerns that food-import dependence could weaken domestic agriculture and the government’s $538m agro-industrial expansion programme.
Celebrity foundations can fund meals, medical care, education and emergency assistance. But voluntary giving cannot replace transparent welfare systems, agricultural investment, job creation and policies that make food affordable.
Nigeria’s challenge is therefore not to choose between government intervention and private generosity. It is to ensure that successful citizens contribute where they can while the state remains fully accountable for protecting people from hunger and extreme hardship.
