A prominent Nigerian socio-political group, TeamNigeria4Change, has kicked against the planned Lagos concert by South African Grammy-winning singer Tyla, describing the show as insensitive and insulting to Nigerians.
Tyla is billed to perform in Lagos on December 22, 2026, as part of her “A*POP” World Tour. But the announcement has triggered widespread backlash online, with several Nigerians calling for a boycott of the show over unresolved tensions around xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
TeamNigeria4Change argued that Tyla’s silence as a public figure amid the xenophobic violence in her home country amounts to tacit approval of the attacks.
President of the group, Otunba Bestman Nze-Jumbo, described the decision to bring a South African artiste to perform in Nigeria at this time as a “total lack of empathy” on the part of the show’s organizers, noting that Nigerians were among the worst hit by the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
“For a country that sacrificed so much for South Africa to gain independence, it is most unfortunate that the country can treat Nigerians and other black African nations the way it is doing,” Bestman said.
The group’s position comes on the heels of a diplomatic scramble that saw the Nigerian federal government deploy aircraft to evacuate its citizens from South Africa, after they were threatened with deportation and given an ultimatum to leave the country.
TeamNigeria4Change has yet to state whether it will pursue further action beyond its public condemnation, as reactions continue to trail the planned December concert.
