Singer Peter Okoye, who is generally known as P-Square, has apologised for his controversial remarks about the value of Nigerian languages, saying his comments were misunderstood and that he never intended them as an attack on the Igbo language or culture.
On Wednesday, after he replied to a social media user, the former P-Square member made it clear in a post on his X account.
I apologise if my answer to the question ‘Who Naija language help?’ has upset anyone, and I accept full responsibility for what I said. But that does not indicate that I hate Nigerian languages or our culture, he wrote.
P-Square stated that the controversy arose because of what he called an innocent post about his children speaking French while they were in Paris.
“The whole thing began with a harmless tweet in which I mentioned that my children speak French, and that remark led me to the idea of perhaps buying a house in Paris. In some way, that situation then developed into something entirely different,” he said.
He insisted that he had never mentioned the Igbo language in his remarks.
I never stated that I hate the Igbo language or Igbo culture. Although I used the term ‘Naija language’, which refers to the various languages in Nigeria, some people misinterpreted this and suggested that I had specifically mentioned Igbo. I didn’t.
Even so, I am responsible for the way my words were received.
Mr P also charged an unnamed person with taking advantage of the controversy to damage his reputation, stating that such attempts had previously been made.
“Once more, buddy, you’re doing it again by taking this situation as yet another chance to bring me down. As I stated in my open letter two years ago, it will never work to do everything possible to make people hate me,” he wrote.
Although he admitted that he merited criticism for his statement, he denounced what he called a deliberate misrepresentation of his comments.
Yes, people are bringing my statement into question, and that’s all right; we all have occasions when our words are misunderstood or when we could have expressed ourselves more clearly, and I accept that. But to deliberately distort my words and employ underhand methods in order to damage my reputation says a great deal.
The singer also claimed that the person had on several occasions made insulting comments about him, such as ridiculing him for dancing at his age.
I have no idea why you always look for chances to make sarcastic remarks or join in whenever I’m being criticised. The other time you sneered at me and even criticised my age for still dancing at my age; now you’re doing it again.
To conclude, he stated that he would no longer ignore such criticisms.
At this stage, I believe it’s only just fair to return the same amount of energy that I am receiving; from now on, no more Mr Nice Guy.
“It’s aura for aura, Egusi for the disagreement began when Mr P, writing from Paris, stated that the fact of his children speaking French fluently had made him think about purchasing a house in the French capital. In the French capital.
When an X user asked if his children could also speak Igbo, the singer responded, “And what good are the Naija languages? All I hear is the word abeg.”
The comment attracted criticism from a number of people on social media and others who argued that indigenous languages are essential for protecting Nigeria’s cultural heritage. At the same time, others supported his right to decide how his children are brought up.
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