Rita Odafe
In a recent interview, Nigerian singer Rema discussed his plans for school and his recent successes in music. He spoke about his hit single “Calm Down” and working with Selena Gomez on the remix, as well as buying his mom a car. In January 2022, he revealed on a microblogging app that he had gained admission to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to study Creative Arts, a decision that was pre-informed by his mother’s desire for him to acquire a university degree.
However, due to the prolonged industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Rema decided to ditch his tertiary studies and focus full time on music. When asked about his admission to Unilag and eventual dismissal of his plan to study, he said, “I got admission last year but I bailed on it. I bailed on it because they went on strike. All schools went on strike in Nigeria. So they are back but it took a couple of months. But I wanted to really like strategise how I was going to do part-time schooling and touring but the whole strike made it look awkward. It was like a glitch so I just had to move on from it.”
Though Rema’s mother truly desired that he acquire a tertiary education, he noted she was fine with his decision to forgo studies and focus fully on music. He said, “My mom is fine with it. She travels with me too. She was in London with me but it was quite cold so she had to run back home.” The host then sent his regards to the singer’s mom, telling him to inform her that he’d like to meet her someday.
