“Money will not last. Fame will not last. But how you touched others’ lives will always stay behind.”
—Avijeet Das
By Enyeribe Ejiogu
Who could have imagined it! It was just like what happened to the late musician, Mike Ejeagha. Most Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora would easily remember the several skits on social media that were inspired by the song, Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo, which is danced in a special way. The popularity of that song on social media brought Ejeagha back into conversations.
In a way just too beautiful to describe in words, award winning music megastar, David Adeleke, known globally as Davido, gave Bright Chimezie a giant leap back into reckoning few weeks ago.
After being in the public eye in the 80s and early 9Os, Bright Chimezie, proponent of the popular Zigima music, whose many songs got more than ample playtime on radio stations across the country, naturally faded into near obscurity. Both the music scene and the audience had changed as younger “ears” itching for a different kind of music grew up.
Then Davido took a liking to one of his songs and featured it in his recent album. He paid Chimezie the princely sum of USD1 million (when some other less than honourable artistes would have sampled it without caring a hoot.) But that is not Davido’s style; it is not in his character, not at all. He invited Chimezie and hosted him to a royal banquet. And boom, social media went crazy with the news.
Instantly, Bright Chimezie’s dance steps and crossed-hands movement began trending again. With the deal he signed with Chimezie, Davido connected Millennials and GenZ to Zigima, thereby giving the music a new life. It was like giving the genre of Afrobeat a digital version of stem cell rebirth.
Without a doubt Davido is a helluva kind of artiste imbued with the milk of human kindness, which he pours out with joy, his trademark smile right on display, warming hearts and enchanting his global fans. He is so real and does not put on airs. Davido is down to earth. He connects with people of all ages, status and ethnic origins. His philanthropic acts, quite uncountable, are no publicity stunts. He simply lives out his personal mantra: “We rise by lifting others.”
Davido has never been shy to extend handshakes across the Niger and Benue rivers. When he performed at an event hosted by the then governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, he called him onstage and showed him how to dance to the rhythm of his popular song, Skelewu.
Again, he performed at the 2023 inauguration ceremony of Governor Alex Otti in Abia State, and sang his hit song, “Dami Duro” leaving the audience enraptured with his scintillating stagecraft. He showed up for the launch of two new radio stations: Don FM 103.7 and Ikoro FM 93.3, in Umuahia, Abia State, on June 27, 2025.
His humility is infectious and he readily prostrates for elders and those older than him, displaying his good upbringing.
Davido’s notable philanthropic acts include the 2021 request to his friends and fans to donate ₦1 million each for his birthday. Instead of keeping the funds, he added ₦50 million from his own pocket and donated over ₦250 million to orphanages across Nigeria. Through his foundation, he has distributed over ₦200 million to orphanages, benefiting almost 14,000 children. More than 500 motherless baby homes have received financial support from him. In the heat of COVID-19, he donated proceeds from his music video “Dolce & Gabbana” to support research on coronavirus. This earned him recognition from CNN.
His great desire to do philanthropy has also motivated his fans, who belong to 30BG Fanbase, to engage in acts of kindness whereby the group donates variety of food items to orphanages on his birthday. Davido’s charity works have made enormous impact on the lives of many and fired up numerous others to do likewise. He has always had a large heart. At the age of 12, he used to pay his barber N200 for haircut, and today he pays the same barber N2 million for the same haircut.
He rose to fame after releasing “Dami Duro”, the second single from his debut studio album, Omo Baba Olowo in 2012, from which six additional singles—”Back When”, “Ekuro”, “Overseas”, “All of You”, “Gbon Gbon” and “Feel Alright”—were taken. In 2012, Davido won the Next Rated award at The Headies.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Davido holds dual citizenship. He is the youngest of five siblings and the third son of his father, Adedeji Adeleke, a multi-billionaire business magnate. His late mother, Veronica Imade Adeleke, who died in 2003 was a university lecturer. He attended the British International School in Lagos, and graduated from Babcock University with a degree in Music in 2015, three years after his mega-hit, Dami Duro, was released in 2012.
Despite his laudable philanthropic works, Davido has had to contend with Internet trolls, who are offended by his peaceful and stable marriage to Chef Chi (Chioma Adeleke). Many of them are roiled that he has maintained an even-handed relationship with all his children, who he showers with expensive gifts and smolders with affection. They are also not pleased with his Igbo connection, and therefore feel that he is not Yoruba enough.
Interestingly, Davido has taken a firm decision not to be bothered about people who feel offended by the fact of his grandmother being Igbo.