Afrobeats star David Adeleke also known as  Davido has explained why he highlighted Nigeria’s growing kidnapping crisis during his performance at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup, saying the safety of citizens should take priority over protecting the country’s image.

The singer said he used the global stage to draw attention to the abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers in Oyo State, where the victims were still missing at the time of his remarks.

As part of the awareness campaign, Davido wore a specially designed outfit bearing the names of the abducted victims, describing the gesture as an effort to keep international attention on the incident.

Speaking in a recent interview, the award-winning artiste criticised what he described as the reluctance of some influential figures to openly address Nigeria’s security challenges.

“A lot of people do not want to talk about what is happening in my country because they want to protect a lot of images. Which image is there to protect if little children are being kidnapped?” he said.

Davido said performing on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages came with a responsibility to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. He added that artists and other public figures should not remain silent on humanitarian and security issues, especially when innocent lives are at risk.