Nigerian veteran singer, Mike Okri has contracted the deadly coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated.
The music star made this known via his Instagram Live where he noted that he is “so devastated” over his current situation.
“Hey folks, this is coming to me as a rude shock. I had my Covid test, hoping to fly out and it turned out it was positive. I’m so devastated, which means that I can’t travel for another 10 to 14 days. As I’m speaking now, I’m self-quarantined.
“I just want to tell folks that yes, for those doubting Thomas, that the damn thing is real. I’m feeling funny, even though I had my vaccines, double shots, I’m still like, that doesn’t mean that you’re immune. So, folks, there are a lot of people walking around with it, but they don’t even know”.
Mike Okri
Okri now joins the list of celebrities in Nigeria who have contracted the deadly virus.
Mike Okri seeks greener pastures abroad
It can be recalled that Okri relocated to the United States in 1995. Speaking in a recent interview, Okri disclosed why he had to leave his homeland for abroad.
“I just left because I was tired of how we do things. And frankly, I figured there was greener pasture out there. Another thing was that I was very concerned about losing ground in my kind of music. The idea that I had (about the direction my music should go) and it was not possible for me to showcase it further than I had done was the reason I had to leave”.
Mike Okri
Further speaking, Okri noted that “My intention was just to be in the states for just two years, get myself situated, and get my music career going again. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
“I had issues with ‘how do I get situated and not defy the laws of the land’? While my lawyers were working at it, I was trying to get myself a record deal. Around that time, the particular record label I wanted to get signed onto arrived in Africa and I was in the states, I could not come back”.
Mike Okri
Mike debunks rumors surrounding his travel abroad
Meanwhile, several people speculated he left Nigeria at the peak of his career due to some record label issues.
Clarifying such rumors, Okri said: “There were so many things involved. It wasn’t just the record label or me. Most of the record labels were dying out, especially after I had packed up and left for the U.S.
“The record label I was signed unto had already lost their foreign partners, the whole blame was on piracy. The image that was out there was that, we as black people don’t manage our businesses very well, which is not true”.
Mike Okri
Speaking of his music career, it is worth mentioning that Okri has four music albums to his credit: ‘Concert Fever’, ‘Rhumba Dance’, ‘CRACKS’ and ‘Rhythmysticals’.
However, in March this year, the singer launched a new Extended Playlist (EP) under his own record label, Mike Okri Entertainment Company.
It is worth mentioning that Nigerian R&B singer Sheyi Shey was featured as the special guest at the Boomplay-backed launch which took place at The Kulture Yard.
The Nigerian Music Awards (NMA) and Fame Music Awards (FMA) winner, Mike Okri dominated the country’s music scene in the 80s and 1990s with hits like ‘Rhumba Dance’, ‘Time Na Money’, ‘Okpeke’, and many others.
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