Nigeria’s music scene continues to make waves both locally and globally, with recent events underscoring the remarkable influence of its artists and industry leaders. From breaking global streaming records to being immortalized through landmark name changes and professional transitions, the spotlight remains firmly on some of Nigeria’s most impactful entertainers.
Music superstar Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first African artist to surpass nine billion streams on Spotify across all credits. This monumental feat further cements his place as one of the continent’s most globally recognized musicians. His biggest hit, “One Dance,” a collaboration with Drake and Kyla, alone accounts for a staggering 3.7 billion streams, making it one of Spotify’s top 10 most streamed songs of all time. The song also holds the Guinness World Record as the first single to surpass one billion streams on the platform. Among his solo efforts, “Essence” featuring Tems stands out as his most streamed lead single, with over 303 million streams.
In the same spirit of celebrating excellence, the Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State has officially renamed the iconic ‘Charly Boy’ bus stop in honour of Olamide Adedeji, widely known as Baddo. The council’s outgoing chairman, Kolade Alabi David, announced this as part of a broader initiative to celebrate individuals who have brought pride to Bariga and elevated Nigeria’s image on the global stage. Olamide, a native of Bariga, has had a successful career spanning over a decade and is recognized as one of Nigeria’s most influential music acts.
The renaming initiative didn’t stop with Olamide. Several other roads and streets in Bariga were also renamed to honour key figures in entertainment and politics. Ilaje Road now bears the name of juju music legend King Sunny Adé, while Ajidagan Street becomes Olamide Adedeji (Baddo) Street. Additional changes include Bariga Road becoming Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way, Community Road, Akoka to Babajide Sanwo-Olu Road, Ifeanyi Street to 9ice Street, Ayodele Street, Ladi-Lak to Tony Tetuila Street, and Ilojo Crescent, Obanikoro now known as Bukayo Saka Street.
Meanwhile, the industry also witnessed a major managerial shift as Muyiwa Awoniyi, respected talent manager, announced his split from Afro-fusion star Omah Lay. The announcement was made via his official handle on X (formerly Twitter), where Awoniyi stated that the decision was amicable. “With love and respect, I am no longer managing @Omah_Lay. That’s my brother and I wish him all the best in his endeavours for life!” he wrote. Awoniyi, who is also the current manager of Grammy-winning singer Tems, previously managed Nigerian-Canadian artist Nonso Amadi.
