Jonathan didn’t give me any money – D’banj

About a year after he had an unpopular interview with President Goodluck Jonathan, wave-making artiste, Dapo ‘D’banj’ Oyebanjo, has denied widespread insinuations that he received money for his ‘service’. The multi-millionaire entertainer denied this in a well-syndicated interview with Sahara Reporters TV’s Chika Oduah.

The heated interview, which saw the otherwise hyper-cheerful act going through varied emotions, was conducted on the eve of Mo’Hits’ debut performance in New York last week

Says D’banj, “I think people can say anything, you understand? But we all know that he cannot even give me money. The President has not given me any money before. I did not collect any money from the President. I am not a politician. And I do not do politics…. I did a song for him and I wanted to know his plans for the youth, because I know that I have loads of fans that would ask me. So if you watch what you’re calling an interview, you would see what I said. I said I would like to know his plans for the youth and he answered me. So many people have said so many things about it. The reason why I did that was to justify my reason for voting for him.”

Not surprisingly, the interview went viral on social media as many called him several unprintable names for his perceived lies and seeming insensitivity to the plight of the generality of Nigerians. What even riled a lot of respondents was his reply to the question about his absence at the protest ground during the rage that trailed the fuel subsidy removal. D’banj says, “If you have been following me very well, you (will) know that I have not even been in the country this year. I’ve been in London working on the Good Music album with Kanye West. I did “Oliver Twist” video, still doing the same thing that I believe that God has called me to do:  carry the music, carry the good message across. So, fuel subsidy, I will not say anything about that matter because I don’t know much about it. I was not, unfortunately, I was not in the country when everything was happening. Records can show that. My video is coming out, “Oliver Twist” and I did that video during that whole stuff (protest).” The criticisms have since been harsh and strident.