Portable under fire, barred from Ibadan concert for claiming houses in the city lack POP ceilings

Portable, the singer, has come under intense criticism on social media for claiming houses in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, do not have POP ceilings.

The 30-year-old artiste was recently scheduled to perform at a concert in Ibadan, but his appearance was cancelled due to security concerns.

However, it was gathered that the real reason behind the cancellation was a controversial remark by the singer in 2024.

Portable claimed that Ibadan residents are “uncivilised,” arguing that they don’t have POP ceilings in their houses.

The comment was made during a public feud with his ex-lover Damilola Adeyemi, who happened to be the estranged wife of Lamidi Adeyemi, late Alaafin of Oyo.

“You are living in a mansion. There is no house with POP in Ibadan or Oyo,” he had said.

“If you know you want to brag, remove your brown roof and replace it with POP ceilings. They pay money for POP. Let the POP challenge start in Ibadan. Let Ibadan be exposed. If you are rich in Ibadan, you are supposed to design a POP for your father’s house.

“I know my fans in Ibadan are rich. There are some hotels and houses in Ibadan that I have been to that have POP. I am angry. Let Ibadan people be exposed.”

The comment did not sit well with most Ibadan residents. Some took to social media to express their outrage. Many saw the remark as an insult to the city and its people while some even vowed that he would not be allowed to perform at the concert.

In a video statement, Portable claimed he did not perform at the concert due to inadequate security provisions. He also alleged that Taye Currency, the concert organiser, only sent him N1 million, despite agreeing to receive N5 million.

“I stayed at home because I did not have any security. My fans are more than yours. You expected me to bring down my cars among haters. They want to use me to trend. I billed him N10million, but we eventually agreed to N5million. He later sent me N1 million,” he said.

In another video, Portable apologised for his remark, claiming he was misunderstood. He said his comment was directed at Damilola, not the people of Ibadan.

“My people, I am sorry about the POP statement. I made the statement in a wrong manner. I meant to say they do not have a POP at that girl’s father’s house. I want Ibadan people to be exposed,” Portable said.

However, many users rejected his apology, citing his history of inflammatory comments.