Rybeena and Friends Concert in OAU Falls Flat, Promoter Arrested

 Akinade Peter Ayomide

The highly anticipated Rybeena and Friends Live in OAU concert failed to deliver, leaving the 5,000-capacity Amphitheatre half-empty and students disappointed. The event, held on Saturday, March 7, was marred by a late start, poor sound quality, and the absence of several advertised artists. The show promoter was later arrested for failing to fulfill the agreed-upon lineup.

The concert was promoted for weeks across campus, but the buzz did not translate into a successful event. The show was supposed to start at 4 p.m. but didn't begin until 7 p.m. This delay created a negative atmosphere.

The show began with performances by upcoming OAU artists, but attendees reported issues with the sound system, which allegedly amplified the beat over the artists' voices. Many of the expected OAU stars were missing, and the performances were lackluster, with few exceptions. T Famous appeared instead of TML Vibez, who had been advertised. Jo Blaq delivered a notable performance, while Jidex also made an appearance. Folapondis, Badboy OML, and Shoday were absent. Rybeena, the main act, arrived late, taking the stage around 10 p.m., further frustrating the audience.

"I came for something fun, but it was just… loud, the artistes I came to watch are not even around," said Susanna April, a 200-level student of Foreign Languages. April spent much of the evening on X, formerly Twitter, rather than watching the show. 

Adeagbo Adedayo, a final-year student of Public Administration, echoed her sentiments, stating, "the organizers of the event did not try at all".

The event generated considerable discussion on X under the hashtag #OAUTwitter, with students expressing their dissatisfaction and lamenting wasted money5. User @Owolesho12 tweeted, "God will collect my 2k from you guys aje," while @oluwafeyiisola wrote, "OAU event organizers should stop putting artists on flyers if they won’t be attending the event. It sucks so bad!".

Following the event, the show promoter was arrested. Markay, who is involved in show promotion at OAU, posted a message on WhatsApp stating that the promoter had been apprehended for failing to bring Rybeena's advertised colleagues, TML Vibez, OML, Shoday, and Fold, despite having been paid millions of naira.

Rumors also circulated on X that some upcoming artists had to pay for the opportunity to perform or were required to sell a certain number of tickets. User @NØTsolo tweeted, "Nothing anybody says can justify asking artists to sell tickets before they get the chance to perform IN THEIR SCHOOL NOTHING!".

Elemoh shared a video on X of the show promoter apologizing, with the caption: "The promoter with the name Glamorouz has apologized, paid part of the money & has promised to refund after collateral was obtained. He says he is sorry for letting the entire Great Ife down".

The Rybeena and Friends Live in OAU concert failed to live up to expectations, disappointing attendees and leading to the arrest of the show promoter.