South African Grammy-winning singer, Tyla Laura Seethal, popularly known as Tyla, has removed Lagos from the schedule of her APOP World Tour following mounting pressure from Nigerians demanding a boycott over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
A review of the updated tour schedule on the singer’s official website on Friday showed that the Lagos concert, earlier slated for December 22, had been removed.
The revised itinerary retained performances across Europe, North America and South Africa, but excluded Nigeria.
The decision followed days of heated debate after Tyla announced Lagos as the only Nigerian stop on her world tour before concluding with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.
The announcement triggered outrage on social media, with many Nigerians insisting that South African entertainers should not perform in the country while Nigerians continue to face attacks in South Africa.
Others, however, argued that musicians should not be punished for actions linked to political or societal tensions beyond their control.
The 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the boycott campaign, saying Tyla should not be blamed for the violence.
He wrote on X, “Nigerians should direct their anger at their real enemies. No one should hold a talented musician like @Tyllaaaaaaa vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia.”
Sowore added, “Tyla’s Lagos concert must go on.”
The controversy escalated after social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his Ratel Movement to stop the concert.
In a Facebook post, he declared, “TYLA SHOW WILL NOT BE HAPPENING IN NIGERIA.”
He added, “We are standing in solidarity to say no to the promoters and celebrities from South Africa who have refused to speak up against these attacks on other Africans living in South Africa.”
The cancellation comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of Nigerians residing in South Africa following reports of fresh xenophobic attacks and the killing of Nigerian national, Chika Ibe, in Cape Town.
Although Tyla has yet to publicly explain the removal of Lagos from her tour schedule, the development is expected to reignite debate over cultural exchanges between Nigeria and South Africa amid recurring diplomatic and xenophobia-related tensions.
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