Afrobeats star Davido has explained why he wore pins bearing the names of 39 abducted children and seven teachers during his performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup countdown event.

According to the singer, he wanted to use the global stage to draw attention to the victims, who are still missing.

Speaking during an interview with Focus on Africa host Waihiga Mwaura, Davido said the safety of innocent children is more important than protecting Nigeria’s image.

He explained that he chose to speak out because many people avoid discussing the country’s security challenges in an effort to protect its reputation. However, he believes there is no point in protecting the country’s image while children are still being kidnapped.

Davido also said that although performing at the World Cup countdown event was a proud moment for him, he felt it was important to remind the world that Nigeria is still facing serious security problems.

He stated, “A lot of people don’t really want to talk about what goes on in my country simply because they want to protect the image, but there’s no image to protect if little kids are being kidnapped.

“As much as I was happy to do the World Cup, we also have to understand that there are things going on back home in our country, which we have the power to let the world know through our own means.

“When I say our own means, where’s my power? My power is in music, performances. We have these students that have been missing, still not found. So yeah, I use my platform to project what’s really going on.”

Nigerian singer Spyro has shared how he met his wife, Janet Atom, revealing that their love story began after they met at a nightclub.

The singer explained that they did not meet because she was at the club to have fun. Instead, she was working there at the time.

Speaking in an interview with Esther Feyi, Spyro said he was not criticizing people who go clubbing. However, he became curious after noticing Janet working at the club and wanted to know why she was there.

According to him, that curiosity led to their first conversation. They continued talking, became friends, and gradually developed a strong bond.

Spyro said it was during their friendship that he realized Janet possessed all the qualities he had been looking for in a life partner.

He admitted that he was not thinking about marriage when they first met, but as he got to know her better, he decided not to let the opportunity pass.

He said, “I met my partner working in the club, not partying in the club, but that’s not to say that partying is wrong. But she was working there and that’s how I got to notice her. I was curious to know why she was there and why she was working at the club, and that was what made me have my first conversation with her.

We got talking and we became friends. The one day my eyes popped up and I was like ‘Oh what I have been looking for was right in front of me.’ because I wasn’t really thinking of making it a lifetime thing, so I said before I quickly miss it, lemme swing into action…”

Veteran Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has criticized the growing trend of dating for financial gain, describing it as a form of “romantic scam.”

According to the actor, some women enter relationships with the main intention of getting money from their partners rather than building genuine love. He said this amounts to fraud because the other person is often unaware of the true motive behind the relationship.

Speaking during a recent interview with BBC Pidgin, Ike advised women who date only for financial benefits to consider street begging instead of using relationships as a way to make money from unsuspecting men.

He said, “Love and marriage is not scam. But there are a few hungry people who are using relationship as meal tickets. That’s where it becomes a scam.

“Love is beautiful. If you find someone who genuinely likes you, it’s very sweet. But when you are liking him or her for an end they are not aware of, that’s a scam.

“A lot of girls are going into relationships because what they want to get from the man. They should just join street-begging instead of using relationship to raise money.

“Relationship is supposed to be sacred. Love is the pillar of every good relationship. Let’s stop messing it up in Nigeria. Let’s stop pretending that we are in love just to raise money. Relationship shouldn’t be a source of income.”