Peter Okoye, one half of the defunct music duo P-Square, has apologised over the backlash sparked by his recent comments about Nigerian languages, insisting that he never insulted the Igbo language or culture.
The singer admitted, via a tweet on X, that his response to the question, “Who Naija language help?” offended some people and said he takes full responsibility for how his remarks were received.
If my response to “Who Naija language help?” upset some people, I apologize and take full responsibility for my words. That doesn’t mean I hate Nigerian languages or our culture.
— Mr Psquare (@PeterPsquare) July 29, 2026
It all started from an innocent tweet where I said my kids speak French, and it made me think maybe…
“If my response to ‘Who Naija language help?’ upset some people, I apologize and take full responsibility for my words. That doesn’t mean I hate Nigerian languages or our culture,” he said.
Explaining how the controversy began, Okoye said the debate stemmed from an innocent post about his children speaking French.
“It all started from an innocent tweet where I said my kids speak French, and it made me think maybe I should buy a house in Paris. Somehow, that turned into something completely different.”
He stressed that he never singled out the Igbo language in his comments.
“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.”
Despite his clarification, the music star acknowledged that he could have expressed himself better.
“That said, I still take responsibility for how my words were received.”
Okoye also accused a critic of deliberately using the controversy to damage his reputation.
“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 added that while he accepts the criticism over his remarks, he believes some people intentionally misrepresented what he said.
“Yes, people are dragging me over my statement, and that’s okay. We all have moments where our words can be misunderstood or where we could have expressed ourselves better. I accept that. But deliberately twisting my words and using petty tactics to damage my reputation says a lot.”
The singer further claimed that the individual had repeatedly targeted him in the past.
“I don’t know why you look for every opportunity to make derisive comments or jump on the bandwagon whenever I’m being attacked. The other time, you threw shades at me and even age-shamed me for still dancing at my age. Now it’s this again.”
Concluding his statement, Okoye warned that he would no longer ignore attacks directed at him.
“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.”
The post I never said I hate Igbo language — Peter Okoye responds to backlash appeared first on Vanguard News.