Nigerian singer Timaya has revisited the 1999 Odi massacre in his home state of Bayelsa.
He stated that the attack was carried out by the Nigerian Army against the predominantly Ijaw town on the order of the government.
The singer explained that the massacre was also a personal ordeal, stressing that his mother owned a bakery in the town of Odi.
According to him, the military operation resulted in the loss of lives and properties.
Timaya said he was conferred with the title of Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa after he sang about the Odi massacre in his hit song, ‘Dem Mama’, in 2007.
He said, “It [Odi] was part of me, too, because my mum had a bakery in the village and was supplying the whole villages… It was the village that was attacked.
“It’s very touching because we lost lives, a lot of things and history. You know when the government just says ‘go and shoot these people down’.
“I sang about it [the massacre]. That is the most I can do. I told the story, how they sent the military to burn down the village. I narrated my story and it helped me to get an impact. I became the voice, which they gave me the title of the Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa State. That is the mouthpiece of the people.”
