Entertainment
Ifeanyi: The Death of Nigeria’s Most Popular Baby
By Eric Elezuo
A dark day it was on November 1, 2022 when Nigerians woke to the shocking news of Davido and his fiancee, Chioma’s son, Ifeanyi’s death. The news, which filtered in at midnight throw celebrity posts, hovered like a grand rumour until it gained ground, and became confirmed. Ifeanyichukwu ‘Davido’ Adeleke has died. He drowned in a swimming pool in his father’s house in highbrow Banana Island.
The news threw the country into unbelievable grieve, causing politicians and entertainers to shift their priories and programmes amid tears. Ifeanyi was only three years old; an age he attained only a week before his death. An age that was celebrated with pomp, pageantry and total exuberance.
Much as the parents of the child have not uttered a word on the issue till date, the Lagos State Command through its publicity department led by SP Benjamin Hundeyin, has continually kept the public abreast of the situation, culminating in its Saturday announcement that autopsy authorised to determine the cause of the child’d death was out. The content according to him, revealed that the boy some people have come to rever as Nigeria’s most popular baby died as a result of drowning.
Hundeyin said, “Autopsy has been concluded. It confirms the boy (Ifeanyi) drowned.”
Earlier, the Police had picked up all eight domestic staff on duty when the child died for questioning. They later released six, and detained only the cook and the nanny, who were directly in charge of Ifeanyi. The Police hinted that they may be charged for negligence.
It was reported that the nanny was with the toddler when the cook came to join them. The nanny claimed to have moved away to receive a call leaving the child with the cook who also insisted that he left the boy in the care of the nanny. The child’s body was later found at the bottom of the pool by a security guard 20 minutes later.
Analysts have wondered why it took the Nanny a whole 20 minutes to discover that the child was not with them, and why security guards in the facility do not regularly patrol the surroundings if it took 20 minutes for the guard to spot him.
A lot of people have said that Ifeanyi was a victim of circumstance arriving with so much fanfare as his mother was so loved among the four baby mamas of the star artist, Davido.
The pair broke the internet when on Chioma’s 23rd birthday, in 2018, Davido caused a stir on social media when he released a song titled ‘Assurance’ in homage to her. While lavishing love on her, he also generated a torrent of reactions by presenting her with a N45 million Porshe as a birthday gift. The car came with a plate number which reads ‘Assurance’.
Davido had specifically gone to the studio to release a single dedicated to Chioma. The song broke music charts, and placed Chioma on a great pedestal in Davido’s love line. However, shortly after their talk of the town traditional marriage, and birth of Ifeanyi, the two parted ways as a result of Davido’s alleged involvement with another woman overseas and another alleged romantic affair between Chioma and Davido’s staff, Peruzzi.
The disagreement reached a head recently when Chioma, an Economics undergraduate at Lead City University, learned that the singer had impregnated yet another woman.
Much as Chioma Rowland is greatly hit by the unfortunate death of the child because it was her only child, Davido is equally devastated as the child was his only son. His other baby mamas had daughters, Imade and Hailey, for him.
Imade Adeleke is the product of his romance with Sophie Momodu while he had Hailey Veronica Adeleke with an Atlanta-based lady popularly known as Amanda ‘Mandy Play’ on Instagram.
Their separation, more than setting them apart further cemented their love, and hyped their personalities. It was not therefore, a surprise when in June 2022, the duo made a drama comeback, setting 2023 for the wedding ceremony.
The circumstances that brought his parents together, broke them apart and brought them back again, have made the young Ifeanyi to remain in the limelight as the unofficial most popular in Nigeria. His popularity was shored up when his third birthday party took over the entire internet.
Though the last of the unfortunate has not been heard, Nigerians continue to mourn a boy many have said was finer than most beautiful girls; a boy many said was Nigeria’s most popular baby.
May the innocent soul of Ifeanyi rest in peace!
Chief Magistrate Court in Ifo, Ogun State, sentenced Nigerian singer Habeeb Okikiola, also known as Portable, to three months in prison for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
He was offered the option of paying a N30,000 fine.
The court found Portable guilty of two charges stemming from a November 18, 2022, incident in Okeosa, Ilogbo.
According to the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Olumide Awoleke, the singer attacked an officer, obstructed an arrest, and was involved in the theft of studio equipment.
The charge sheet listed three offences: conspiracy to conduct assault, physical attack on an officer, and theft of music equipment, including a Yamaha studio monitor and an AKG microphone.
“That you, Badmus Habeeb Okikiola, aka Portable, and others now at large, on the 18th day of November 2022 at 11:00 hrs, in Okeosa, Ilogbo, within the Ifo Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony, to wit: assault, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 517 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State 2006.
““That you, Habeeb Okikiola Olalomi, on the same date, time, and place in the aforementioned district, did unlawfully assault one Osimosu Emmanuel Oluwafemi (male) by beating him all over his body, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 351 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State of Nigeria 2006.
“That you, Badmus Habeeb Okikiola, aka Portable, on various occasions in the year 2022, at Okeosa, Ilogbo, within the Ifo Magisterial District, did steal some musical equipment, including a Yamaha H55 studio monitor, a complete Studio 2 interface connection cable, and an AKG P420 condenser, thereby committing an offence contrary to Sections 384 and 383 and punishable under Section 390 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun State, Nigeria, 2006.”
Chief Magistrate Babajide Ilo ruled that Portable was guilty of assault and resisting arrest, sentencing him to one month in prison with a N10,000 fine option for the first count, and two months with a N20,000 fine option for the second.
Juju music singer, King Sunny Ade, has finally spoken to dispel the swirling rumour that he has been kidnapped.
For several days, social media platforms were abuzz with speculation that the musician had been abducted, leaving his fans both worried and confused.
In response to the frenzy, Sunny Ade took to a video released by his wife, Mrs. Bose Olubo-Adegeye, to dispel the unfounded rumours.
“Nobody kidnapped me,” the renowned singer said with his accustomed calmness.
“I pray, as I don’t want anybody to kidnap me. I believe the whole world is in love with me. This is me, King Sunny Ade.
“I have to thank God and you, my fans, for the concern. I have been doing my shows. I was at a show last Saturday at Lekki, Lagos. I am on my way to have a show, and I am coming back again to play in Lagos, as well,” he said.
Sunny Ade, fondly referred to as KSA, reassured his fans, thanking them for their concern and love.
The musician explained that the confusion surrounding his absence could have been linked to the fact that some of his children hadn’t seen him recently.
“I know my children are in love with me, and they want to see me. I didn’t go anywhere. This is me. I thank the children, too, for their concern as well,” KSA added.
The 78-year-old star, who is known for his vibrant performances and contributions to Nigerian music, expressed his continued passion for music.
“By God’s grace, enjoyment continues. I am still in music. Music is my life; it is my business, and I will continue to do it.”
The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria has voiced strong objection to ban imposed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on rapper Eedris Abdulkareem’s trending song, “Tell Your Papa.”
The IPMAN President, Pretty Okafor, emphasised that the ban was likely to backfire, as it only serves to amplify the song’s reach and relevance in light of the current socio-economic challenges facing Nigerians.
Okafor stated: “The first major mistake is banning the song because it’s going to make the song even go viral right now. Those who haven’t heard about the song or haven’t even listened to it will go now to look for the song and will start promoting it. The song has practically pinched the government somewhere, that’s why they ordered for the ban. So, there is already a mistake that has been made by the NBC or even the government by paying attention to that particular song.”
Discussing PMAN’s position on the matter, Okafor remarked, “We don’t have the power to offer the artiste support right now because it is a very sensitive issue, so, we need to be careful. We will just be watching because people are dying and the suffering is too much. How do we repair the economy? We cannot pretend that all is well. The song is telling us the truth, and there is nothing wrong with that song.”
The NBC barred Nigerian radio and television stations from airing the trending song, “Tell Your Papa,” by popular rapper Eedris Abdulkareem, citing its “objectionable nature.”
In a memo dated April 9, 2025, and issued by the Coordinating Director of Broadcast Monitoring, Susan Obi, the commission declared the track “Not To Be Broadcast” under Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
This section prohibits content deemed inappropriate, offensive, or in breach of public decency from being aired on Nigerian broadcast platforms.
According to NBC, while the song had gained momentum across social media platforms, its lyrical content failed to meet the standards of responsible broadcasting.
The statement titled, “Restriction on broadcasting ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem,” reads, “The National Broadcasting Commission has identified the song ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem, currently trending on social media, as content deemed inappropriate for broadcast due to its objectionable nature.
” It is, therefore, classified as Not To Be Broadcast (NTBB), as it violates Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
“The commission requests that your station exercises discretion and refrains from airing this song to maintain responsible broadcasting standards.”
The controversial song, released earlier this week, targets Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, calling on him to confront his father over the worsening socio-economic conditions in Nigeria.
In the track titled “Tell Your Papa,” which was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Abdulkareem delivered a blunt message, painting a grim picture of the hardships facing everyday Nigerians.
The song comes in response to Seyi Tinubu’s recent comments in Adamawa State, where he described his father as “the greatest President in Nigeria’s history.”
In the hard-hitting lyrics, Abdulkareem raps, “Seyi, tell your papa country hard. Tell your papa people dey die. Tell your papa this one don pass jagajaga.”
“Seyi, how far? I swear your Papa no try. Too much empty promises. On behalf of Nigerians, take our message to him; kidnappers dey kill Nigerians.
“Seyi, try travel by road without your security, make you feel the pains of fellow Nigerians. You dey fly private jets, insecurity no be your problem.”
