Oladips, Moyo Lawal, Portable… controversial celebrities of 2023

As we say goodbye to 2023, TheCable Lifestyle examines the most controversial celebrities in Nigeria for the outgoing year.

From infidelity to sex scandals and a death hoax, these celebrities set tongues wagging and also ensured they kept Nigerians glued to their phones all year long.

Naira Marley 

Naira Marley, the Marlian Records head honcho, faced intense criticism from the public, especially on social media, shortly after the death of Mohbad, his former signee, on September 12. 

The were rumours that Marley had a hand in the death of Mohbad.

The rumours came after the late singer alleged that he was assaulted by his former record label’s boss in October 2022.

Mohbad also claimed members of Marley’s music label assaulted him for requesting a new manager.

Since Mohbad’s demise, thousands of Nigerians called for the ban of Marlian Music, while nationwide protests were held to demand justice for the singer.

Amid the backlashes and protests, Marley first spoke about Mohbad’s death on September 15. The record label boss mourned his former signee while calling for an investigation into his demise.

The ‘Soapy’ hitmaker would later put out another statement in response to a police invitation for investigation on September 26.

In an attempt to vindicate himself from accusations levelled against him, Marley, in a widely-circulated interview with Reno Omokri, shared his side of the story concerning Mohbad’s demise.

The singer was arrested in October alongside Sam Larry, the music promoter, following allegations of their involvement in the death of Mohbad.

They were released on bail in November after five weeks in detention.

Portable

Portable is another celebrity whose likeness for controversy knows no bounds. He is making the list for the second year running. In 2023, the controversial singer was always in the spotlight over his inclination to violence and controversies.

In March, Portable got into an altercation with the Ogun state police and also resisted arrest. The singer was later apprehended after which he was charged to court and granted bail on April 3. 

Over the year, the singer threatened to beat up Seyi Vibez, engaged in a physical fight with a music promoter and also defeated Charles Okocha in a celebrity boxing match.

The Celestial Church of Christ, Land of Goshen in Lagos was also heavily criticised for enlisting Portable among the headlining artistes to perform at its praise night.

Oladips 

Oladipupo Oladimeji, the controversial singer fondly called Oladips, stirred up a hornets’ nest after news of his death was announced on his social media pages last month.

On November 15, Oladips’ management announced that the artiste had passed away after battling personal struggles for over two years.

The news of his death came as a rude shock to fans and colleagues in the industry.

Shortly after, the management released the rapper’s 17-track album titled ‘Superhero Adugbo’.

Suspicions arose when a longtime friend of Oladips posted a video claiming the rapper “is alive”.

He further alleged that the rapper had faked his death and would return online if his album reached the top of the music charts.

The development angered several Nigerians, including a plethora of celebrities.

A few days later, the rapper shared a “proof of life video” on Instagram. He also took down the post announcing his demise.

Although Oladips later apologised to Nigerians, the motives behind his death hoax remain unclear.

Davido 

Aside from putting out a Grammy-nominated project in 2023, Davido was also in the news over the “women” allegedly in his life.

In June, three women went public with their accusations that the Afrobeats star impregnated them and allegedly asked them to terminate their pregnancies.

Anita Brown, the US-based lady, was the first to call out Davido for allegedly refusing to take responsibility after impregnating her.

Ivanna Bay, another woman based in France, alleged that she conceived for the singer.

Chisom, a Nigerian lady, also claimed that Davido got her pregnant and promised to give her N10 million to terminate the pregnancy.

The singer, who welcomed a set of twins with Chioma, his wife, in October, however, did not respond to any of the allegations from the women.

Seun Kuti 

Seun Kuti, the Afrobeat singer, was in the public eye after he was filmed assaulting a police officer on Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos on May 15.

The incident triggered a chorus of condemnation against the singer. Seun was eventually apprehended and detained at the state criminal investigation department (SCID) in Panti, Yaba. He was also arraigned before the magistrate’s court.

Seun was released to his family on May 26 after spending eight days in police custody.

In November, the Afrobeat singer also made newspaper headlines after he confronted a man who allegedly threatened to kill him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos state.

The singer also hindered the man from presenting his passport for boarding a plane to the US. The pair, however, settled their differences after which he allowed the man to board the US-bound plane.

Moyo Lawal

They say sex sells, and in 2023, a viral sex tape of Moyo Lawal was the source of her enormous presence in the spotlight.

In September, a video surfaced on social media capturing an intimate moment between the actress and a man.

The video left a lot of tongues wagging on social media. While some users argued that she might have shared the video herself, others claimed she was being blackmailed.

In her reaction, the actress said the video was filmed a “while ago” with her former fiance and “was never intended for public consumption”.

She also threatened to initiate legal action over the “unauthorised distribution” of the video on social media. 

She later revealed that she allowed the recording because her partner “put in a lot of work to win my trust over the years”.

Mr. Ibu 

On October 18, John Okafor, the comic actor fondly called Mr. Ibu, revealed that he was battling an undisclosed illness.

The actor’s plight triggered help from Nigerians; some of whom donated funds for his surgeries and treatment.

Despite undergoing seven surgeries, the actor’s leg was, however, amputated on November 6.

The controversy in Ibu’s case was among his family members.

Stella Maris, Ibu’s wife, accused Jazmine Okafor, the actor’s adopted daughter, of hijacking the funds donated for his surgery.

The police later invited Ibu’s sons and Jazmine over claims that she withdrew N300 million from the ailing actor’s donation account. 

There were also claims that Stella had wanted to buy a house and cars from the donation account.