Contrary to wide speculation, mobile company, MTN, didn’t drop Nigerian pop star, Davido, as brand ambassador because of the squabble the artiste had with media mogul, Dele Momodu.
Davido, 23, was in 2015 accused of child abduction by his baby mama, Sophia Momodu, after it emerged that the singer attempted to travel to Dubai with their daughter, Imade.
Sophia, a niece of Ovation publisher, Momodu, later petitioned the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), accusing Davido of child trafficking.
Bob Dee, who spoke in favour of his niece, was serially abused by the much younger Davido, prompting many to wonder at the kind of training the artiste got from his parents.
When it emerged on Thursday that Davido had been dropped as an MTN ambassador, many in the media concluded that it was because of the clash with Dele and Sophia Momodu.
This online newspaper has, however, learned that the ‘Skelewu’ singer, along with others like Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr. Sid, Sound Sultan, Banky W, KCee and Harrysong were dropped strictly for economic reasons.
“If it is true that we dropped Davido because of personality issue, why then did we drop Banky W, Dr Sid and Harrysong?” a manager in MTN asked our correspondent who spoke to him on the telephone.
“We are aware of the rumours that Davido was dropped because of the child issue and Tiwa Savage because of the matter with her husband. Nothing could be farther from the truth.”
The company, we were informed, is embarking on a lot of cost cutting measures as fallout of the N330billion fine imposed on it by the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) for failure to deactivate unregistered sim cards.
Like other companies, MTN is also reeling under Nigeria’s economic recession with its attendant loss in income as subscribers choose basic needs over phone recharge.
Davido signed a ₦30 million deal as the face of MTN Pulse, a marketing campaign for Nigerian youths, in 2012.
