By Monsurat Abisoye
Nigerian singer and former member of the defunct P-Square music duo, Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has responded to a fan who suggested that he should retire from music because of his age.
The controversy began after an X user with the handle OloriOfOloris commented on a clip from Mr P’s music video, arguing that the singer was too old to continue making Afrobeats music.
The fan stated that the 44-year-old artiste was approaching 50 and should consider stepping away from the music scene.
Quoting the video clip, she wrote, “I don’t get why an almost 50-year-old man is still singing like this. It’s okay to retire❤️.”
However, popular media personality Do2dtun disagreed with the criticism, describing it as ageist and pointing out that several globally acclaimed musicians who are older than Mr P remain active in the music industry.
Do2dtun cited international stars such as Celine Dion, Shakira, Beyoncé, and Backstreet Boys as examples of artistes who continue to perform despite being older than the Nigerian singer.
“Peter is 44 but you dimwits are so ageist that you don’t even know what you bring down in the name of clicks,” Do2dtun wrote.
Reacting to the post, Mr P claimed that those calling for his retirement were mostly heartbroken fans of the now-defunct P-Square group.
The singer accused his critics of hypocrisy, arguing that they celebrate and praise older international artistes for performing while demanding that he retire despite being younger than many of them.
“After dem realize say all those narratives no hold water, dem come with another one:
‘Now he is too old to be singing and dancing.’
“Meanwhile, na the same people go celebrate and hype Usher, Beyoncé, and Chris Brown for doing exactly the same thing,” the singer wrote in part.
The exchange has since sparked discussions on social media about age, longevity, and relevance in the entertainment industry, with many users weighing in on whether age should determine an artist’s career span.