Africa News of Wednesday, 21 February 2024

Source: bbc.com

Afrobeats star Davido pledges $197,000 to Nigerian orphanages

Davido has been donating money to orphanages in Nigeria every year since 2021 Davido has been donating money to orphanages in Nigeria every year since 2021

Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido on Tuesday announced that he will donate 300m Naira ($197,000; £156,000) to orphanages in his country.

"I and my foundation pledge the sum of 300 million Naira to orphanages around Nigeria...as my yearly contribution to the nation..details of disbursement tomorrow," Davido shared in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Davido, real name David Adedeji Adeleke, has in recent years endeared himself to his fans for philanthropic efforts.

In 2021, he ended up collecting 200m naira from his friends and fans after he shared a series of posts on X, then Twitter, asking people to send him money so he could clear his Rolls Royce from the port.

Davido then topped up 50m naira of his own and donated the total 250m naira to various orphanages in Nigeria.

He went on to create the David Adeleke Foundation the following year.

Since then, Davido and his foundation have donated money to orphanages in Nigeria annually.

Several Nigerians online have commended about the pledge, saying it is timely and could help the recipient orphanages to cope with the aggravating cost-of-living crisis.