‘Mention names’ — Timi Dakolo reacts as Femi Lazarus claims a gospel singer charged $10k

Timi Dakolo has responded to a claim by Femi Lazarus that a gospel singer charged $10,000 to perform at a church event.

Lazarus, the lead pastor of Light Nation Church in Abuja, shared a purported invoice from the singer, which included demands for a 40-man escort, first-class flight, and executive suite accommodation.

Addressing his congregation, the cleric criticised the high fees charged by some gospel artistes, arguing that such demands are excessive and unjustified.

Reacting to the claim in the comments of an Instagram post, Dakolo questioned the authenticity of the invoice and challenged Lazarus to name the singer who made such demands.

The singer also expressed skepticism about the claim, arguing that “nobody has a 40-man crew in Nigeria”.

“Nigerians, you should not believe everything you see. Nobody has a 40-man crew in Nigeria. Name the artist in order to justify capping,” he wrote in the now-deleted post.

The ‘Iyawo Mi’ hitmaker also criticised Lazarus for “charging fees” from students at his school of ministry. He highlighted the potential financial gain from having a large number of students.

“Sir, you are charging as low as 150 dollars per person for your school of ministry. Teaching and preaching Jesus. Probably having as much as 1000 students. Let’s do the maths. You even have premium and standard for God house?” he wrote on Instagram.

Lazarus had previously criticised the high fees charged by some artistes, prompting Dakolo to defend the right of musicians to be paid for their work.