Nigerian singer, Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe, better known as Kizz Daniel, has called on his fellow citizens to embrace gratitude for their identity as Nigerians, despite the pressing challenges facing the nation.
Kizz Daniel described being Nigerian as a privilege, emphasizing that the nation is ahead of its time. He acknowledged the economic challenges but likened them to the pressure that creates diamonds.
On his X page, he wrote,
“Take a second to appreciate what God has done for you; making you a Nigerian. He gave you a time before the actual time, cus Naija is ahead of time. It might seem like the rough, but guess where diamonds come from? The rough.”
Kizz Daniel’s post amid the social media banter between United Kingdom’s Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch and Bashir Ahmad, the Special Assistant on Digital Communication to former president, Muhammadu Buhari.
In an interview with ‘The Spectator’, Badenoch stated that she identifies more with her Yoruba ethnicity than with Nigeria as a whole, asserting that her roots lie within this specific cultural heritage and noted that she does not feel a connection to northern Nigeria, describing the region as a hub for extremism and the insurgent group Boko Haram.
She said,
“I find it interesting that everybody defines me as being Nigerian. I identify less with the country than with the specific ethnicity (Yoruba). “I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, the Boko Haram where Islamism is.”
Reacting to her comment, Bashir emphasized that Nigeria does not need Kemi’s Public Relations efforts and noted how individuals like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Hajiya Amina J. Mohammed, and Dr. Akin Adesina represent Nigeria better
“Nigeria doesn’t need her PR, and no one is pushing her to do so. If she really believes in her chosen country, she should stop dragging us along and find other ways to get the needed validation from her masters.”
Their heated banter has continued to divide Nigerians as some are in support of whatever Kemi chooses to identify with.
In other news, Kizz Daniels advised his colleagues to stop chasing number 1 songs on streaming platforms.
He encouraged them to focus on their crafts, stressing that the numbers of songs on some streaming platforms don’t correlate with those on other platforms.
“Leave social media algorithms, focus on your craft. Have you ever heard of a guy called Killer Mike, guess not … 4 times Grammy winner. Stop chasing number 1 song , it’s meh now = everything can be controlled…. Most of those songs numbers no dey correlate on other platforms… check.”
In another post, Kizz Daniel clarified that he isn’t against the use of bots to boost streams as it’s a form of marketing but added that it isn’t for established artists.
He stated that his position wasn’t to shade his colleagues but to encourage rising artists to release their songs without fear of not gaining traction on streaming platforms.
“Farming isn’t a crime, it’s marketing … for placement and all …. But na for who get the money. We ain’t shading anybody here before una start, just tryna push the new generation to drop those hidden gems… I won learn.”
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