Nigerian Afrobeats musician Davido went viral on social media last week after he received over $400,000 in donations from friends, colleagues, and fans he had asked to send him money to celebrate his 29th birthday.
And following the outpouring of love, the Champion Sound singer hinted he could possibly give all the money away for a charitable cause. The musician followed up on that statement on Saturday when he took to social media to announce he’ll be donating all of those proceeds to orphanages across Nigeria.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my friends, colleagues, fans, and the public for the generous expressions of love in recent days. In my usual playful manner, I requested a few days ago that my friends and colleagues send money in celebration of my birthday,” the 1 Milli singer said in a statement.
“The response and outcome exceeded my expectations, as I received about NGN 200,000,000.00 [around $480,000] in less than two days. I truly appreciate everyone who donated hard earned funds and I am very thankful for your generosity.”
He added: “I have always been passionate about giving back and helping people. In view of this, I am delighted to announce that all funds received, totaling NGN 200,000,000.00, will be donated to orphanages across Nigeria as well as the Paroche Foundation.”
The singer also said he’ll personally be adding an extra ₦50 million (around $121,000) to the donations he received. And to oversee the disbursement of the donated funds, Davido said he has set up a five-person committee that “will compile a list of orphanages across Nigeria.”
“They will determine the number of children and their needs at each orphanage, and then divide the funds accordingly,” he said, adding, “To maintain transparency, the committee will make public the names of the beneficiary orphanages and how much each will receive.”
And though the musician’s decision to donate the money to orphanages was generally received with praise on social media, a skeptic user raised concerns on whether the money will truly get to the children.
The 29-year-old said he’ll ensure the funds don’t fall into the wrong hands. “I will personally make sure this doesn’t occur !!” he replied. “I put that on my life !”
I will personally make sure this doesn’t occur !! I put that on my life ! https://t.co/TPGe1poVPZ
— Davido (@davido) November 22, 2021
