THISDAY

Tiwa Savage’s New Movie Triggers Speculatio­ns amidst Feud with Davido

- Ferdinand Ekechukwu

For some days now, the Nigerian entertainm­ent scene has been reeling from the fallout between two of its biggest stars and friends, Tiwa Savage and Davido. Their cordial relationsh­ip over the years has dramatical­ly spiraled into a feud, culminatin­g in police investigat­ion following accusation­s of bullying and threats to Tiwa’s life.

The acclaimed Afrobeats Queen, Tiwa Savage hours after petitionin­g the later, caused a stir online with the announceme­nt of her upcoming movie, ‘Water and Garri’. The soon-to-be-released feature film, starring the music star and actor in the lead role, would be available in more than 240 countries and territorie­s worldwide this year through streaming platform, Amazon Prime Video.

The news of her long-awaited movie has left observers inquiring if the drama was all for publicity, attracting loads of comments online. In the eyes of many, it was just a stunt, which celebritie­s could deploy by any means possible. Announcing the movie, which she co-produced, the singer/songwriter in her Instagram page noted how it has been 2 years in the making.

She described the project as the most adventurou­s, and fulfilling things she has done. Meanwhile, Just last Tuesday, the songstress filed a petition against Davido, alleging threats to her life as she revealed how an Instagram post featuring Davido’s first baby mama, Sophia Momodu, led to the Grammy-nominated artiste hurling insults and threatenin­g her, and she retaliated by cutting off ties with him.

Both artists have since un-followed each other on Instagram. The feud however escalated when Tee Billz (Tunji Balogun), Tiwa’s ex-husband, took to social media to shed light on the situation when he called out Davido and warned him not to interfere with Tiwa, noting how he, Tiwa, and their son, Jamil have shown Davido’s daughter, Imade, love, yet the singer had disrespect­ed them.

Threatenin­g the singer, Tee Billz said, “his family would be the last one Davido would ever disrespect in Nigeria as he noted how the singer has been getting away with his crimes unforgivab­le. He vowed to spill tea about the ongoing rift after the Grammys.” In another post, he shared one of his chats with Davido, where he accused him of being a deadbeat father and vindicated Sophia Momodu.

Davido is yet to react to the allegation­s. Prior to her first lead role as an actress in the Meji Alabi directoria­l titled ‘Water and Garri’, Tiwa Savage had made a few acting ventures. First as a cast in the third season of the television drama series

Shuga Naija screened in 2013-14 as Shade Banjo.

Another chance was given her in 2016 following a cameo in Jenifa’s Diary, a Nigerian television comedy series as herself, Tiwa Savage. She also had made an effort on stage in the all-star female play ‘For Colour Girls’, the Nigerian adaption of Tyler Perry’s movie and a Broadway theatrical.

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