Nigerian music star Asake, popularly known as Mr. Money, has come under heavy criticism online after listeners interpreted a line from his newly released album M$NEY as support for President Bola Tinubu.
The controversy centres around a track titled ‘Amen’, where the singer reflects on the power of words and manifestation. In one part of the song, Asake references Tinubu’s famous “Emi Lokan” statement and his eventual victory in the 2023 presidential election.
The lyric, “Presido sope emi lokan, e dey win election,” quickly sparked reactions on social media, with many listeners accusing the singer of praising the president despite the country’s current economic hardship and rising public frustration.
On X, formerly Twitter, some fans expressed disappointment and even threatened to stop supporting the artist.
@tazethegreat tweeted, “Why was Asake praising Tinubu in ‘Amen’? With the way the country is right now, that’s another reason the album flopped.”
As for @gmltony, he called for knocks on the Lungu Boy crooner by writing, “With everything wey dey happen for Nigeria, Asake still get mind praise Tinubu for him album. I no fit lie, that thing weak me. My guys don already talk say dem no go stream am again.”
@amara_views posted, “Some artistes really forget say na the same ordinary Nigerians struggling every day still dey stream their music and buy tickets. This one no sit well with many people.”
Others, however, argued that the lyric was being misunderstood and taken out of context.
@JiddaGram tweeted, “He only used Tinubu as an example of speaking something into existence. People are overreacting honestly. The line no even sound like campaign or praise to me.”
@theonlysammie added, “Music listeners for this country too dey emotional sometimes. Not every mention of a politician means endorsement.”
Released on Friday, M$NEY contains 13 tracks and has already generated massive conversations online. However, the Tinubu reference has become one of the biggest talking points surrounding the project.
