Tyla Drops Lagos Show Amid South Africa-Nigeria Immigration Row
South African singer-songwriter Tyla has removed a scheduled concert in Lagos, Nigeria, from her upcoming world tour, as tensions over anti-immigrant sentiment continue to strain relations between the two countries.
The Grammy-winning artist, known for hits including “Water,” had originally announced Lagos as one of 34 stops on her APOP World Tour, with the Nigerian date scheduled for December 22 as part of the country’s busy year-end concert season known as “Detty December.” However, checks on her official tour website on Friday confirmed the Lagos leg had been quietly removed from the public schedule. Neither Tyla nor her management has offered an explanation for the change or clarified whether the show has been cancelled outright, postponed, or simply pulled from the current listing.
The decision follows days of intense backlash from Nigerians on social media, with growing calls for a boycott of the concert amid renewed reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerian nationals living in South Africa. Critics argued it would be inappropriate for the singer to perform in Nigeria while such tensions remained unresolved, with some public figures questioning why Tyla had not spoken out publicly against the violence.
Among those voicing opposition was writer and commentator Solomon Buchi, who urged Nigerians to reject the tour entirely. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central went further, calling on Nigeria’s federal government and immigration authorities to bar Tyla and her entourage from entering the country altogether, drawing a comparison to the reported denial of entry into South Africa for Nigerian Afrobeats artist Ayra Starr.
The controversy is unfolding against a backdrop of months of unrest in South Africa, where protests, some of them violent, have targeted African immigrants that demonstrators blame for crime, unemployment, and strain on public services. Nigeria has been especially vocal on the issue, and tensions were evident this week when senior officials from Abuja and Pretoria met at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter.
The situation has been further inflamed by the reported death of Nigerian national Chika Ibe in Cape Town, an incident that reignited longstanding grievances between the two nations over the treatment of migrants.
With the Lagos date removed, Tyla’s updated itinerary now includes only her remaining international stops across Europe and North America, alongside two South African concerts scheduled for Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9. It remains unclear whether the Lagos show could be rescheduled at a later date, and representatives for the singer have not responded to requests for comment.
The cancellation also represents a commercial setback, given that Detty December is typically the busiest period for Nigeria’s live entertainment industry, drawing large local audiences, returning members of the diaspora, and international visitors to Lagos for a packed calendar of concerts.
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