Star singer, Davido, has been honoured by foremost magazine TIME, enshrining him in its 2021 TIME100 NEXT. A
TIME100 Next list is an expansion of TIME100 franchise, which highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future.
Davido was selected in the Phenoms category alongside stars like Amanda Gorman, Charli D’Amelio, Rege-Jean Page, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nyjah Huston, Sydney McLaughlin, Brit Bennett, Olivia Rodrigo, Steve Kornacki, Doja Cat, Luka Doncic, Trevor Lawrence, Abby Phillip, Janja Garnbret, Izkia Siches Pasten, Koyoharu Gotouge.
In a tribute written by Laycon (as a celebrity is expected to write on each of the awardees, the BBNaija winner notes: “Davido is one of the biggest voices in Afrobeats because his music connects with people, often in ways that transcend his expectations. When he released the song “FEM” in 2020, a title that loosely translates to “shut up” in Yoruba, he didn’t know it would become a major #EndSARS protest anthem, as youth banded together to demand the government take action to end police brutality in Nigeria last October. Officials responded by sending politicians to give speeches. We told the government to keep quiet unless they had something sensible to add—the ethos of “FEM” was directly relatable to that moment.
“You can tell Davido puts 100% into every song he makes. And the results are clear: his album A Good Time surpassed a billion streams in 2020. Afrobeats is a worldwide phenomenon, and Davido is one of many Nigerian artists who has made that possible; now more and more artists, from Nicki Minaj to Young Thug, want to work with him. By bringing Afrobeats to the global stage, he’s paved the way for people like me.”
Also, Damilola Odufuwa, Odunayo Eweniyi, both founders of the Feminist Coalition, and a member, Feyikemi “FK” Abudu, were spotlighted by Time Magazine for their role in the #ENDSARS protest. The trio were in the Advocates category of the list.
The magazine wrote, “When protests calling for an end to police brutality and the disbandment of Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) erupted across the country in fall 2020, Damilola Odufuwa and Odunayo Eweniyi, founders of the Feminist Coalition, sprang into action. Drawing on their expertise in tech, they raised donations in Bitcoin to offer protesters medical assistance, legal aid and mental health support.
“Simultaneously, Feyikemi “FK” Abudu acted quickly, raising funds from both Nigeria and the diaspora to organize food and security arrangements for protesters on the ground. Abudu later joined forces with the Feminist Coalition, and the organization, comprising 13 founding members, raised more than $387,000 in two weeks. As their fight continues—in mid-October, the government pledged to implement police reform, but efforts to suppress dissent, including by arresting demonstrators, are ongoing—the coalition’s leaders hope their crucial role in the protests demonstrates the importance of having women in leadership.”
