Tyla drops Lagos from world tour after boycott calls over xenophobia

Tyla has removed Lagos from the schedule of her APOP World Tour following widespread calls by some Nigerians to boycott her planned concert over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

A review of the updated tour schedule on the singer’s official website on Friday showed that the Lagos concert, previously scheduled for December 22, is no longer listed.

While performances across Europe, North America and South Africa remain on the itinerary, the Nigerian leg has been removed.

The development comes days after Tyla announced Lagos as the only Nigerian stop on the tour before concluding with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.

The announcement had sparked mixed reactions online, with many Nigerians arguing that South African artistes should not perform in the country while reports of attacks on Nigerians in South Africa continue.

Others, however, maintained that entertainers should not be blamed for political or social issues beyond their control.

Amid the controversy, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the boycott campaign, saying Tyla should not be held responsible for xenophobic violence.

> “Nigerians should direct their anger at their real enemies… No one should hold a talented musician like @Tyllaaaaaaa vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia,” Sowore wrote on X.

He added that:

> “Tyla’s Lagos concert must go on.”

The debate intensified after activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to prevent the concert from taking place.

In a post on Facebook, he wrote:

> “TYLA SHOW WILL NOT BE HAPPENING IN NIGERIA.

> “This is a message to SOUTH AFRICANS. WE ARE AFRICANS AND WE DONT UNALIVE OUR OWN, since you people have taken it upon yourselves to unalive other Africans because according to you guys other African nationalities living in South Africa are taking your jobs.

> “WE ARE STANDING IN SOLIDARITY TO SAY NO TO THE PROMOTERS AND CELEBRITIES FROM SOUTH AFRICA WHO HAVE REFUSED TO SPEAK UP AGAINST THESE ATTACKS ON OTHER AFRICANS LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA.”

The controversy comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of Nigerians living in South Africa following reports of fresh xenophobic attacks and the deaths of Nigerian nationals, including Chika Ibe, in Cape Town.

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