The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Digital Media, O’tega Ogra, has addressed growing controversy following claims by Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo that he was not paid for a performance linked to the recent reception for Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress.
Dakolo, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), had accused Ogra of ignoring calls and failing to settle an outstanding payment.
“Mr @otegaogra please pick your calls. I did my job,” the singer wrote.
The allegation quickly gained traction online, with several social media users questioning whether the engagement was a personal contract or part of an official government event.
In a brief statement on Sunday, Ogra dismissed the speculation, noting that his “record of public service stands on its merits,” and stressing that he would not “personalise a clearly institutional matter.” He hinted that the D’Tigress reception was not his personal project, but one coordinated through official channels.
Sources close to the planning committee said the event was jointly organised by the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), and Zenith Bank Plc, the principal sponsor. Vendors and artistes, including Dakolo, were reportedly contracted under those institutional arrangements.
Officials from the NSC and NBBF are said to be working to verify claims and reconcile outstanding obligations. Neither organisation has issued an official statement as of press time, while Zenith Bank has also remained silent.
Ogra maintained that he would pursue “formal correction and legal redress” should the matter continue to be misrepresented, insisting that “clarity is not conflict; it is respect for fact.”
The details of the alleged amount owed, the nature of the contract, and whether the engagement was personal or institutional remain unclear — leaving the controversy open and unresolved.
