Nigerian music star Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has apologised for his controversial remarks about Nigerian languages, insisting they were misunderstood and never intended to belittle the country’s rich linguistic or cultural heritage.
The former P-Square singer faced widespread criticism after responding to a social media user who asked whether his children, who speak French fluently, could also speak Igbo. In his reply, Mr P wrote, “Who Naija language help?”—a statement that sparked intense debate across social media.
In a statement shared on his X account on Wednesday, the singer acknowledged that his words offended many people and accepted responsibility for the reaction they generated.
“If my response to ‘Who Naija language help?’ upset some people, I apologise and take full responsibility for my words. That doesn’t mean I hate Nigerian languages or our culture,” he said.
Mr P explained that the controversy arose from what he described as an innocent post about his children’s ability to speak French, which prompted him to consider purchasing a home in Paris.
Clarifying his earlier remarks, the singer stressed that he never singled out the Igbo language or culture, noting that his reference was to Nigeria’s diverse indigenous languages as a whole.
“At no point did I say I hate the Igbo language or Igbo culture. I said ‘Naija language,’ referring to the different languages in Nigeria, but some individuals twisted it and made it seem like I specifically mentioned Igbo. I didn’t,” he stated.
While expressing regret over the misunderstanding, Mr P accused his twin brother and former bandmate, Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy, of using the controversy to damage his reputation.
According to him, Rudeboy deliberately misrepresented his comments and has consistently taken opportunities to criticise him publicly.
“But again, bro, you’re at it again, using this moment as another opportunity to pull me down. Just like I wrote in my open letter two years ago, doing everything possible to make people hate me will never work,” he wrote.
He added that although he accepted responsibility for his statement, he believed his brother’s actions were aimed at intensifying public criticism against him.
Mr P further alleged that Rudeboy had previously mocked him for dancing at his age and declared that he would no longer remain silent whenever he was publicly attacked.
“I don’t know why you look for every opportunity to make derisive comments or jump on the bandwagon whenever I’m being attacked. At this point, I think it’s only fair I start giving the same energy I receive. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
“It’s aura for aura, Egusi for Egusi, Oha for Oha,” he added.
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