(Davido wears jacket bearing names of abducted pupils, teachers in Nigeria for World Cup countdown performance. Photo Credit: Punch News)
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, on Wednesday appeared on stage for the FIFA World Cup countdown concert in a customised outfit honouring the pupils and teachers recently kidn@pped in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Turning his highly anticipated pre-tournament performance into an advocacy showcase, Davido spotlighted the security crisis in Nigeria, demanding immediate government action for the victims who remain in captivity.
In a viral backstage video clip, Davido wore a black leather jacket adorned with green circular buttons bearing the individual names of the students and teachers recently abducted by armed b@ndits.
The names of those still held captive were written in white lettering on the green buttons, while the names of victims who had lost their lives during the ordeal were written in red.
The singer also wore a white t-shirt with “NIGERIA” boldly written on it, while “BRING THEM HOME” was printed on the back of the black leather jacket.
In an address moments before taking the stage, Davido expressed grief over the pace of rescue operations and urged the federal and state governments to hasten their intervention.
“Peace and love everywhere. May God be with the families of the abducted and the ones who have been killed.
They still haven’t been rescued, we’re praying to God every day. We’re also praying to God that the government hastens, and you knowโฆ My country is going through a lot. We represent everywhere we go,” he said.
The countdown concert serves as a major milestone ahead of the upcoming tournament.
Reports making the rounds online indicate that Davido was billed as a headlining performer at the official 2026 FIFA World Cup countdown concert in the United States, cementing his status as one of the foremost cultural ambassadors for African music on the global sports stage.
The performance follows the announcement that Davido, alongside fellow Nigerian heavyweights Burna Boy, Rema and Ayra Starr, is featured on the star-studded official 2026 FIFA World Cup soundtrack album.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง: ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, on Wednesday, appeared on stage for the FIFA World Cupโฆ pic.twitter.com/J3Vc6MkchI
โ Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) June 11, 2026