Nigerian singer, Peter Okoye, one-half of the defunct Nigerian Afrobeats duo, P-Square, has accused his twin brother, Rudeboy, of joining the bandwagon to damage his reputation.
Naija News reports that the trouble started after Peter Okoye, better known as Mr P, dismissed the advantage of Nigerian languages.
Mr P, while responding to a question from his fan, said, “Who Naija language help?” and the controversial statement led to heavy criticism online.
Amid the criticisms online, Rude Boy, in a post via his 𝕏 handle, said he is a nobody without the culture and native language.
He said, “I’m a nobody, I repeat, a nobody without the culture, native language, and pride of a Nigerian. 100% proudly Nigerian. 100% proudly Igbo.”
In response to the public outrage, Peter Okoye apologised to Nigerians, stressing that the statement does not connote hate for Nigerian languages and culture.
Mr P also accused Rude Boy of using the moment to bring him down and throw shade at him.
He wrote, “If my response to “Who Naija language help?” upset some people, I apologise and take full responsibility for my words. That doesn’t mean I hate Nigerian languages or our culture.
“It all started from an innocent tweet where I said my kids speak French, and it made me think maybe I should buy a house in Paris; somehow, that turned into something completely different.
“At no point did I say I hate the Igbo language or Igbo culture. I said “Naija language,” referring to the different languages in Nigeria, but some individuals twisted it and made it seem like I specifically mentioned Igbo. I didn’t. That said, I still take responsibility for how my words were received.
“But again, bro, you’re at it again, using this moment as another opportunity to pull me down. Just like I wrote in my open letter two years ago, doing everything possible to make people hate me will never work.
“Yes, people are dragging me over my statement, and that’s okay. We all have moments where our words can be misunderstood or where we could have expressed ourselves better. I accept that. But deliberately twisting my words and using petty tactics to damage my reputation says a lot.
“I don’t know why you look for every opportunity to make derisive comments or jump on the bandwagon whenever I’m being attacked. The other time, you threw shade at me and even age-shamed me for still dancing at my age. Now it’s this again. At this point, I think it’s only fair I start giving the same energy I receive. No more Mr Nice Guy. It’s aura for aura, Egusi for Egusi, Oha for Oha.”
