By Sandra Nwaokolo And Abisola Adigun
Copyright tribuneonlineng
For many people in Nigeria, social media is one place to laugh off your worries, sometimes your sorrow. And move on. But this same new normal is, to others, synonymous with trolls. A dreaded place, they now make a daily vow never to even peep into.
On a humid Friday night in Lagos, Twitter (now X) was on fire. The hashtag #30BGvsWizkidFC was trending again, sparked by nothing more than a fan’s offhand remark about whose sold-out show mattered more.
Within hours, insults flew, doctored screenshots surfaced, and artistes who said nothing at all found their names and every ‘secret’ about them dragged through the mud.
Stan wars are usually trending hashtags or topics where Nigerian fan bases defend their celebrity favourites, football ultras, and or political loyalty with virtual weapons in their arsenal.
Regardless, most social media ‘warriors’ believe this unrelenting world of stan wars is what makes their presence in this space worth every penny.
Stan Wars: The rise of the fanbase
In the early 2000s, fans admired artistes from afar. They tuned in to Radio FMs, bought CDs, or caught live shows at the National Theatre, and that was enough.
Today, streaming platforms, viral challenges, and 24/7 social media access have transformed passive audiences into digital tribes. Wizkid FC, Davido’s 30BG (30 Billion Gang), and Burna Boy’s Outsiders are not just supporters; they are armies ready.
For many, fandom has evolved beyond admiration into identity. On X, social media user @Bigmentor001 declared, “No amount of money can buy the love I have for Wiz and FC. FC na family”
Davido’s camp carries the same tribal energy. The singer himself often fuels the bond, tweeting: “30BG 4L I LOVE YALL…. REAL DEFINITION OF BACK UP UR CELEB! UNA MOUNT ME !! I APPRECIATE.”
This single tweet from their ‘001’ is usually a renewal of the covenant. Davido’s fans’ responses have always been nothing short of equal fervour.
As user@goatxabc put it: “30BG is more than a fan base, we are one. We are family. We don’t need to create multiple accounts to win Twitter polls or trend Davido. We are Davido stans.”
Like Wizkid, like Davido, Burna Boy’s Outsiders are just as fervent. His followers often take pride in their collective dominance: “Outsiders are the biggest fanbase in the world. We mount Burna back,” wrote @Johnnyescoba.
The militaristic language isn’t accidental. From declaring themselves “family” to promising lifelong allegiance, these camps see themselves not just as fan groups, but as tribes with shared loyalty and pride.
With social media, to insult an artist now in this world is as easy as insulting the entire community with a fingertip.
The double-edged sword
For artistes, stan armies are both a blessing and a curse. Their loyalty guarantees trending hashtags, viral memes, free project ads, and sold-out tours.
But the same passion that fuels their devotion often tips into dragging, cyberbullying, and endless online feuds.
Burna Boy, for instance, faces as much scrutiny as he does praise. “We have to question Burna Boy about his Grammy-winning,” wrote @Kingsley00012. “Because from his recent album, it is totally a flop.” Another critic, @Forzarri, went further: “The only time Burna Boy treats fans with respect is if they’re white. If you’re not white or based in Nigeria, expect a kick to the head”
As salty as this sounds, the tweet was apparently reacting to Burna Boy’s behaviour at a December 2024 concert in Lagos.
Wizkid is not spared either. Whenever he releases new music, critics and rival fans rush to pick holes.
“Wizkid was dragged when Made in Lagos dropped that he didn’t sing about Lagos, and now he’s being dragged for singing about his late mom even though the whole song theme was about life struggle,” tweeted @Tunde_T6.
His fans clap back with receipts. “How dem go come dey drag Wizkid now?? Shey na best album, na we get am. Shey na Grammy, we still get am. Shey na by streams, we get am plenty. Lmaoooooo, nothing again!!!!!” laughed @_VALKlNG.
Davido, too, is no stranger to online vitriol. “Davido has the habit of threatening people; not good,” observed @DanielRegha, while @SAh_Nu_Si lamented: “Seriously, the hate for Davido is fucking much. Nigga just living his life, e no send una papa.”
The back-and-forth can get ugly, descending into insults and even threats. But amid the noise, some fans remain fiercely protective. “Burna has sad songs, happy songs, birthday songs, heartbreak songs, party songs, love songs, and gospel songs,” argued @bigjamx. “And someone will stand in my front and tell me that he’s not the greatest African artist to ever walk on earth.”
This push and pull, the love, the hate, the dragging, and the defending is what makes Nigerian stan culture such a double-edged sword. For every stream and sold-out show, there is a storm of online hostility brewing just beneath the surface.
When artistes step in
For the most part, Nigerian artistes let their fans do the fighting. Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words; other times, a single tweet, clapback, or DM can pour fuel on the fire.
Take Wizkid, often described as aloof; he rarely addresses critics directly. Yet his silence has not shielded him from ridicule. “Wizkid is the most bullied artist in the history of Afrobeats,” argued @kelly_bankk. “They bullied this dude crazily in 2016 till he finally replied Davido last year. Still you no fit see am enter any fan DM. Wallahi we supposed give Wiz award for maturity.”
Davido is somewhat different. Some people call it being free-spirited, but he doesn’t leave his fight to his 30BG alone. He goes all out to clap back at trolls.
But his approach has always drawn mixed reactions. “Davido really needs to drop that habit of sliding into people’s DMs just to issue threats whenever he feels he can intimidate someone,” complained user@BalooCreativity. “Not everyone will love you, and not everyone will sing your praises.”
But in defence, user@RealChiefPriest believed “Davido is the most bullied and trolled musician in this country, and I honestly don’t understand why.”
For Burna Boy, engagement is a double-edged sword. His Grammy win gave fans plenty of ammunition to defend him. “You’re free to criticise Burna Boy when your fav has a Grammy or a certified/solid album,” user@nahereicomedey fired back at a critic.
The economics of stanning
Streaming numbers aren’t just about music consumption; they’re a scoreboard, a weapon, and a point of pride.
Fans no longer just listen; they mobilise streaming parties, organise playlists, and refresh dashboards in real time, turning Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube into virtual battlegrounds.
Burna Boy’s fans, the Outsiders, often lean on his global dominance as proof of superiority. Yet opposition remains sceptical.
“I had this feeling that most of Burna Boy’s streams were bots,” countered @chrisgospel77. “And I knew that he would resort to doing the same once his album comes out and the numbers are bad.”
But defence is readymade. His fans are quick to dismiss such claims as industry bias. “I have never seen an artist that the Nigerian media and music industry gatekeepers have tried to bring down so badly as Burna Boy,” wrote @live_life_en.
Wizkid FC and Davido’s 30BG are the industry mathematicians; numbers do the talking on the battlefield.
“Essence alone has sold more units than Davido’s 350 songs,” gloated @bigwizarrdd. Davido’s 30BG, meanwhile, fight back with their own receipts. “Davido’s ‘With You’ has more YouTube streams than all the tracks on Morayo combined,” claimed @DeHenry32824.
Streaming parties have become a new ritual, a show of force that’s less about organic listening and more about collective display.
What was once a private act of listening has become a public performance of loyalty.
From fandom to toxicity: When loyalty turns deadly serious
At its peak, stan culture stops being about music and starts sounding like a creed. For many Nigerian fans, devotion to their favourite artiste is woven into their identity, a badge of loyalty they carry into every online war, every playlist stream, and every debate.
For Wizkid FC, it’s a lifelong commitment. “WIZKID till I die,” vowed @ire_for. “Today, tomorrow & forever, it’s always Wizkid over here,” echoed @DiianaD_.
Davido’s 30BG are just as unshakable. A covenant made not with blood but data and music. To them, the singer’s kindness is his greatest flaw and his most endearing trait. “Davido is a victim of his own selflessness,” said user@DaflowAbioye. “He is nice to a fault.”
But loyalty also breeds venom. In the heat of stan wars, grief itself is weaponised. When Davido’s “Timeless” album dipped on global charts, one rival fan tweeted cruelly: “Album sinking in charts like his son sank in water.” For many, it was a chilling reminder that in stan culture, nothing is off-limits, not even personal tragedy.
Burna Boy’s Outsiders elevate their loyalty to a near-spiritual practice. “Listen to Burna Boy before you sleep. It’s good for your health,” recommended @ChiomaAdesanya. For some, his consistency since his Grammy nomination is proof of destiny fulfilled. “Since Burna Boy got nominated for a Grammy in 2019 till now, he always trend every week on the Internet,” boasted @OracleOflife7.
Yet even Burna isn’t spared from toxic conspiracies. Some Nigerians have gone as far as claiming his success comes from refusing to shave his armpits, likening him to Biblical Samson, whose strength lay in his hair. Others spread darker insinuations of “voodoo power,” turning an ordinary grooming choice into a rumour mill of superstition.
And sometimes, stan beef goes offline. Burna Boy’s long-running clash with Speed Darlington escalated beyond Twitter spats into police cases and courtrooms. After Darlington released a diss track mocking Burna’s alleged link to Diddy, he was arrested for cyberstalking and defamation, with his supporters alleging Burna instigated the crackdown. What began as a musical rivalry turned into accusations of police misuse, multi-million-naira bail conditions, and ongoing lawsuits, a stark illustration of how fandom battles can spiral into real-world consequences.
In these moments, fandom feels less like entertainment and more like faith or warfare. To love Wizkid, Davido, or Burna Boy isn’t just to enjoy their music; it’s to pledge allegiance, to defend their legacy, and, for some, to attack, mock, and even dehumanise rivals.
Can the energy be positive?
Amid the feuds, dragging, and toxicity, stan culture in Nigeria also reveals a softer side: generosity, solidarity, and even activism. For many fans, supporting their favourite artist isn’t just about defending them online; it’s about sharing resources, creating community, and spreading love.
Burna Boy fans often tap into giveaways as a way of reinforcing loyalty. Even Burna himself sometimes joins in, turning releases into moments of shared joy. “Over the next 24 hours, I’ll be giving gifts to fans as we reveal the No Sign of Weakness artwork,” he announced on his page recently.
Davido’s 30BG leans heavily on giveaways too, cementing his image as an artist of the people. While critics have sneered, loyalists insist the bond goes deeper.
Wizkid FC, however, pride themselves on the opposite: no material incentives, just pure devotion. But the dominant narrative within the fanbase emphasises organic love.
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