White Money, the former Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) winner, has responded to the backlash over his controversial speech at the 17th Headies.
At the ceremony held on Sunday, White Money accepted the ‘Afrobeats Single of the Year’ award on behalf of singer Flavour.
During his acceptance speech, the reality star dedicated the award to the Igbo tribe, sparking mixed reactions on social media.
Do2dtun, the radio personality, criticised the remark on his X page, calling it “unnecessary” and suggesting it introduced an unwarranted tribal narrative.
“On behalf of the Igbos, I am sorry, that was so unnecessary. It didn’t need that type of narrative. It’s an award won by an African; for Afrobeat and a Nigerian,” he wrote.
In a recent Instagram post, White Money apologised to Flavour, clarifying that he had not been asked to accept the award on the singer’s behalf.
The chef explained that after Flavour’s name was announced, no one came forward to accept the award for “nearly two to three minutes”.
He said he felt compelled to step in when host Annie Macaulay questioned if anyone would collect the award on Flavour’s behalf.
“I would love to apologise to Flavour Ijele. I am sorry if me accepting the award on your behalf has come across to you as offensive, because you did not send me, to be honest, you didn’t ask me to do that,” he said.
“Because I collected the award publicly, so that’s why I’m giving this apology to you publicly, as my senior brother and being a legend in the game. For those who were there, we were seated in the front row.
“Annie Macaulay and the other person came on stage to announce the Afrobeats single of the year, and they mentioned Flavour’s name. And while I was there, Prince and IllBliss were just in the front row. Nobody came out for about 2-3 minutes.
“I didn’t want to come out until Annie made a statement that touched me deeply, really hitting me hard. She said, ‘is there nobody here to pick up the award on behalf of Flavour?’ To me, it felt like an embarrassment, not just to Flavour, but to the culture.
“So, I had to step up and say I’m here, on Flavour’s behalf.”
White Money also addressed Do2dtun’s comments, stating that his dedication to the Igbo tribe was not meant to marginalize other ethnic groups but to celebrate Flavour’s achievement as an Igbo artiste in a genre dominated by Yoruba musicians.
The 32-year-old reality star compared the situation to a Yoruba artiste winning a Highlife music award, emphasising that Flavour’s win was significant for the Igbo community.
“With respect to you, Dotun, I greatly respect you because I see you as a pioneer in the media space. You’re a legend in your own field. So, Dotun, let us be factual, without being sentimental,” he added.
“Who are the main pioneers of Afro-music in Nigeria? It is the Yoruba people. There are more Yoruba artistes in Afrobeats than there are Igbos and Hausa combined, a fact that cannot be disputed.
“My statement was not from a malicious point, or from a point of trying to segregate or marginalise a tribe. It was from a point that having an Igbo man winning the Afrobeats single of the year. Even if you don’t see it as a win, it’s a big win. So, I was only giving a shout-out to the Igbo tribe.
“It’s just like an Igbo man in a Yoruba community winning Best High Life Music, or Best High Area Music. It’s a big win because that’s not your genre, that’s not your style.
“Do you understand, Dotun? And you called me out in that way, it’s fine. I don’t really, there’s no bad blood between us. Relax, I checked. You understand? You’ve been in the game before me. I wish you could come into my DM and say what you did was not cool, but you did it your way. So, that’s the reason why I’m still telling you here.”
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