South African singer Tyla has removed her planned Lagos concert from the schedule of her upcoming APop World Tour following backlash from Nigerians over renewed reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
The Grammy-winning artiste had announced her tour dates on Monday, with Lagos initially listed as one of her international stops. The Tyla Lagos concert, scheduled for December 22, was expected to form part of a global tour featuring performances across Europe, North America and South Africa.
The announcement generated intense reactions on Nigerian social media, with some users questioning the decision to hold a concert in Lagos amid reports of renewed attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa. Some Nigerians called for a boycott of the planned show, arguing that the reported xenophobic incidents made the concert inappropriate at the time.
The development also revived longstanding tensions between Nigeria and South Africa, particularly over recurring concerns about attacks against Nigerians in the southern African country. However, others opposed linking the entertainment industry to diplomatic tensions, arguing that artistes should not be blamed for political or social conflicts involving their countries.
Several Nigerian public figures also joined the conversation surrounding the Tyla Lagos concert. Media personality Do2dtun questioned the promoters behind the proposed Lagos performance, while activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore urged Nigerians to direct their grievances at political leaders rather than the South African musician. Tyla and her management did not publicly respond to the criticism.
However, checks showed that Lagos has since disappeared from the list of venues on the artiste’s official ticketing platform. The December 22 Nigerian date, which had previously appeared on the tour schedule, is no longer listed among the available performances.
The revised itinerary now contains the remaining international dates across Europe and North America, as well as two South African performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9. The removal of Lagos from the schedule comes shortly after the backlash over the singer’s planned appearance in Nigeria.
Despite the change, Tyla has not confirmed whether the Lagos performance has been permanently cancelled or whether it could be rescheduled. For now, the disappearance of the Tyla Lagos concert from the official tour schedule leaves Nigerian fans uncertain about whether the singer will eventually return to the country for the planned performance.
