The hush-hush post-event settlement of the controversy surrounding the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation on February 9, 2026, at Delborough Lagos has left a lot of unanswered questions.
The event, organised by the team of Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage, with media management by a certain Fola PR, was widely criticised after several journalists were embarrassed and subjected to humiliating treatment while trying to cover the occasion.
Videos, mostly shared by journalist Eniola Daniel of The Guardian Nigeria on social media, showed pressmen being prevented from filming, while others were asked to wear Delborough Lagos branded polo shirts before they could be allowed into parts of the venue. Some reporters also complained that they were shouted at and blocked while attempting to perform their professional duties at Delborough Hotel.
Following the backlash that trailed the event, the organisers convened a meeting with members of the media industry in what appeared to be an effort to calm tensions and address the complaints.
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At the meeting, representatives of Tiwa Savage’s team, officials of Delborough Lagos and the management of Fola PR reportedly apologised to journalists for the poor treatment experienced during the launch.
Sources present at the meeting said the singer’s team was particularly expressive, explaining that they never directed that journalists should be treated in such humiliating fashion and did not order that members of the press should wear polo shirts bearing the hotel’s name.
Officials of Fola PR also apologised for the incident and appealed to members of the press to let the matter go, describing what happened as unfortunate.
Representatives of Delborough Hotel, for their part, also assured journalists that such an occurrence would not happen again at the facility.
However, even as apologies were being tendered, one major question remained unanswered.
None of the parties present at the meeting took responsibility for identifying the woman seen in viral videos screaming, “Back, back, move back,” at journalists and attempting to block cameramen from recording the event.
The unidentified woman was visibly confrontational in the footage, openly challenging members of the press and trying to obstruct their work.
Yet when the issue was raised, the hotel denied knowing who she was. The team of Tiwa Savage also distanced itself from her actions, while Fola PR equally claimed she was not part of their staff.
This has left many, including journalists, asking a simple but troubling question: if she did not belong to any of the teams, where exactly did she come from?
Observers say it would be unusual for someone without authority or influence to act with such confidence and aggression at a tightly controlled celebrity event, adding that it was obvious nobody was ready to identify with the lady as a result of the controversy her actions generated.
Another unresolved issue concerns the insistence that journalists should wear the hotel’s branded polo shirts.
During the meeting, Tiwa Savage’s team reportedly denied giving such a directive. Fola PR also denied issuing the instruction. Meanwhile, Fola PR had, prior to the event, informed journalists that a complimentary T-shirt would be made available for them to wear at the event.
A well-informed journalist source who was invited to the event but declined to attend told The Octopus News that the information formed part of her invitation to cover the event, adding that it was insulting.
“Dress Code: A complimentary shirt will be provided on the day for you to wear.
“We’ll also be able to make official images available immediately following the event for editorial use.
“Please let us know if you’d like to attend,” Fola PR said in its invitation to journalists.
Now, if neither the artiste nor the PR agency is owning up to giving the order, questions are being directed at Delborough hotel.
Did the Delborough hotel take it upon itself to insist that journalists should wear its branded polo shirts? And if so, on what basis?
Some members of the media have wondered whether the directive was based on the assumption that journalists are often not properly dressed, or whether Delborough hotel believed its branded shirts were more suitable than the reporters’ attire.
Others have raised a more troubling interpretation: that the demand reduced journalists to mere promotional tools for the venue, rather than independent professionals covering an event.
Observers have also asked why an internationally acclaimed artiste like Tiwa Savage could be associated with a situation where a PR agency declined to respond to a reporter investigating the controversy and instead switched off its phone.
Industry observers say the incident should serve as a lesson not only for Tiwa Savage’s team but also for other entertainers planning major events.
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