It would be very unwise for Davido to take the counsel of an atheist like Professor Wole Soyinka telling him he owes no apology to Muslims – Reno Omokri reacts to statement by Wole Soyinka telling Davido not to apologize to Muslims

Reno Omokri believes it would not be a wise decision for singer Davido to heed the advice of atheist Professor Wole Soyinka, who is suggesting that Davido should not apologize to offended Muslims due to a music video by one of his signees.

After facing criticism for a music video snippet that was deemed disrespectful to Islam, Davido succumbed to pressure and removed the video from circulation. Despite this action, some Muslims are still demanding an apology from the singer.

In defense of Davido, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka issued a statement where he pointed out that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai, had made derogatory comments about Christians in the past without being asked to apologize. Soyinka also emphasized that Davido’s music was not responsible for the tragic incident where Deborah Yakubu, a second-year Christian college student, was lynched by a mob of Muslim students in Sokoto over alleged blasphemy last year. Based on these points, Soyinka sees no justification for Davido to apologize to Muslims.

Reno in an Instagram post wrote;

”It would be very unwise for Davido to take the counsel of an atheist like Professor Wole Soyinka, who is telling him he owes no apology to Muslims, over the video for the song jaye lo. This is a man who does not believe in God. How can he then know how people who believe in God feel?

Islam belongs to Muslims, who assert that they received it from God. It is not for an atheist or a Christian or any practitioner of another religion other than Islam to tell them how to feel when their faith is used in ways they disapprove of.

Is this not the same Professor Wole Soyinka who, just two weeks ago, on July 7, 2023, condemned the Emir of Ilorin for stopping an Osun priestess, Yeye Ajesikemi Omolara, from holding an Isese festival in Ilorin and demanded redress for Osun worshippers? So, why is he now against redress for Muslims?

Nigerians need to remember that this is the same Wole Soyinka who, on May 8, 2023, boasted that Peter Obi apologised to him in person over the attacks on his person by Obidients. Yet, he is here counselling Davido not to apologise to Muslims over a video they consider sacrilegious.

Christians have also previously taken offence with movies and music that, in our view, are sacrilegious about the person of our Lord and Saviour. These include the movies The First Temptation of Christ and The Last Temptation of Christ. We collectively boycotted these movies and demanded an apology and their recall. We were also upset when Mallam Nasir El-Rufai made a crude joke about our Lord and Saviour. How will we feel if a Muslim celebrity comes out to say we do not deserve any apology for those movies and jokes?

In Mark 12:31, our Lord told us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Muslims are our neighbours. They joined us in condemning El-Rufai when he made his crude Jesus joke. They united with us in asking him to apologise. Under pressure from both Christians and Muslims, El-Rufai apologised.

Deleting the offending video is a first step for which I commend Davido. Apologising will put the matter to an end and assuage the hurt feelings of Muslims.

An elder should be known for putting out fires, not for adding fuel to flames.