The rapper made the appeal on Friday, September 18, 2026, while responding to President Tinubu’s post about his meeting in Paris with French businessman and media executive Vincent Bolloré.
Rather than simply celebrating the government’s engagement with one of the world’s major media and entertainment interests, Odumodublvck used the opportunity to call for direct financial intervention for Nigerian artists.
He argued that government-backed funding could give musicians greater independence, particularly emerging artists who often rely on record labels and private investors to finance recordings, promotion and career development.
“Baba come give boys advance from government funds. Na you go be the biggest label boss. Because of you, artists no go fight their labels and underground artists go see something,” the rapper wrote.
He followed the comment with another appeal: “Baba, come sign all of us. And I mean all of us.”
Why Odumodublvck’s comment attracted criticism
The request quickly generated mixed reactions online.
Some social media users questioned why the rapper was publicly asking for government money at a time when Nigerians continue to debate economic pressures and security challenges.
Others focused on the broader question of whether public funds should be used to directly support individual entertainers, particularly established artists who already earn income through music, performances, endorsements and other commercial activities.
Odumodublvck subsequently defended his position, arguing that Nigerian artists contribute significantly to the country’s international image but do not receive sufficient financial support from government.
He said he had not seen an artist receive government funding specifically to make an album, contrasting the situation with forms of support available to people in other sectors.
“Jaga [Jagaban], give me to fly high. I deserve it, sir. Governmental backing for artists gatts dey,” he added.
His response shifted the discussion from an individual request for money to a wider argument about how public policy should support Nigeria’s creative economy.
Government support for creatives already exists
Odumodublvck’s comments also come against the background of existing government-backed financing initiatives for Nigeria’s creative sector.
The Federal Government launched the Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF) as a financing mechanism for businesses and organisations operating across areas including music, film, fashion, art, publishing, gaming and cultural tourism.
Government documents describe the fund as providing different financing windows, including debt financing, equity or quasi-equity investment and grants for qualifying creative projects.
The Nigerian Export-Import Bank also operates a Nigerian Creative and Entertainment Industry Loan Scheme designed to improve access to finance across parts of the entertainment value chain, including music production and distribution, film, television, radio, fashion and related infrastructure.
This means the central issue raised by Odumodublvck is not simply whether government should support the creative economy. Government policy already recognises the sector as an area for investment.
The more difficult question is who should receive the money, under what conditions, and whether support should go directly to individual artists or through structured creative businesses, projects and financing programmes.
Tinubu’s Paris meeting puts the issue in context
The rapper’s comments came shortly after Tinubu met Vincent Bolloré in Paris on September 18.
According to the State House, discussions focused on expanding investment in Nigeria’s creative and digital economy, with Bolloré’s interests spanning areas including Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group.
The State House said the Bolloré Group outlined plans to deepen the localisation of its operations in Nigeria across film, entertainment, fibre-optic infrastructure and related sectors.
Tinubu also reiterated his administration’s interest in using Nigeria’s growing cultural influence to attract investment, create jobs and expand opportunities in the digital and creative economy.
That backdrop helps explain why Odumodublvck directed his appeal at the President immediately after the meeting became public.
A different chapter from Odumodublvck’s earlier political comments
The latest controversy has also brought renewed attention to the rapper’s previous statements about political money.
In April 2025, Odumodublvck claimed that he had rejected what he described as “life-changing” money to campaign against Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election period.
He made the claim while responding to criticism surrounding his public request for Obi to support his music project.
That earlier statement is important context, but it should not be confused with the claim in the source article that he had previously rejected money specifically to perform at a Tinubu campaign event.
The available reporting supports his claim about rejecting money to campaign against Peter Obi; it does not establish the more specific Tinubu campaign-performance version.
Consequently, his latest appeal is likely to attract political interpretation because it involves the same public figure who has previously spoken about refusing political money. However, asking a government to establish or expand support for artists does not, by itself, establish a change in political affiliation or prove that the rapper has endorsed a particular candidate.
2027 election season adds political sensitivity
The timing also matters.
Nigeria is already in the 2027 electoral cycle, with INEC having commenced preparations for the general elections. INEC’s current public information lists January 16, 2027 for the Presidential/National Assembly election and February 6, 2027 for the Governorship/State Assembly election following subsequent timetable revisions.
With political parties and public figures increasingly active ahead of the elections, statements by prominent entertainers can attract political interpretations even when the immediate subject is entertainment policy.
Odumodublvck’s request, however, was specifically framed around government support for artists and the wider creative industry. Whether it represents a political endorsement is a separate question that cannot be established from the funding request alone.
The bigger issue: how should artists benefit from public investment?
The controversy exposes a broader policy question for Nigeria’s rapidly expanding creative economy.
Nigeria’s music and entertainment industries have developed substantial international visibility, while government policy increasingly treats the creative sector as a source of employment, investment, exports and cultural influence.
The Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy has described the creative economy as an avenue for economic diversification and has identified access to finance as one of the sector’s major development priorities.
For artists, however, access to an announced funding programme does not necessarily mean access to cash.
Financing schemes can involve registration requirements, business plans, eligibility criteria, intellectual-property documentation, project assessment and other conditions. Some programmes are also structured around businesses and projects rather than unrestricted personal grants.
That distinction is central to the debate triggered by Odumodublvck’s comments.
What happens next?
There is currently no indication that President Tinubu has agreed to Odumodublvck’s personal request or announced a new programme specifically in response to the rapper’s comments.
The immediate significance of the episode is therefore the conversation it has generated around government support, artist independence and the structure of Nigeria’s creative-economy financing.
For Nigerian musicians, filmmakers, designers and other creatives, the more consequential development may be how existing funding programmes are implemented, who qualifies, how transparent the selection process is and whether financing ultimately reaches emerging creators as well as established creative businesses.
Odumodublvck’s appeal has therefore become more than a request for “advance” money. It has reopened a longstanding question: if Nigeria’s entertainment industry is helping project the country’s image globally, what practical form should government support for the people driving that success take?
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