By: Tunji Okunlola
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has responded to criticism over his recent acquisition of a custom, one-of-one Venuum Widebody Bugatti Chiron, reportedly valued at over ₦9 billion.
The purchase has drawn heavy criticism online, with many berating him for spending extravagantly on “vain things” instead of investing or giving to charity. Critics also took issue with the vehicle’s importation into the country, arguing that Nigeria’s poor road network makes such an exotic automobile impractical.
Performing at the Afronation concert in Portugal on Friday night, Burna Boy addressed his critics in a freestyle: “I buy Bugatti, dem ask which road I go drive am? No be today we dey do road like Julius Berger.”
The remark was widely interpreted as a dismissal of the argument that Nigeria’s infrastructure made the purchase impractical, suggesting that concerns about the country’s roads were nothing new.
The customised Bugatti built by Dubai-based luxury modification company Venuum features the singer’s name engraved on its rear spoiler and has been described by its makers as the world’s first widebody Chiron. The car joins a collection that reportedly includes a Lamborghini Revuelto and a Rolls-Royce Spectre.
This is not the first time Burna Boy’s spending on luxury cars has drawn public attention. Last year, socialite Sophia Egbueje accused him of reneging on a promise to buy her a Lamborghini in exchange for intimacy. Burna Boy did not directly confirm or deny the claims but appeared to reference the controversy in his song “No Do.” Egbueje later announced that she had purchased the Lamborghini herself.