The Warden Was My Fan—Omah Lay Recalls Uganda Ordeal
Omah Lay recently shared his experience in Uganda four years ago. He and Tems were invited to perform in Uganda in 2020, but unfortunately, they were arrested and taken to court after their performance.
The Ugandan authorities claimed that both Nigerian singers had violated COVID-19 social restrictions and regulations that were in place at the time.
During his interview with The Beat FM in London, Omah Lay recounted how a prison warden, who happened to be a fan, took care of them during their time in prison. He described it as an amazing experience, even though it was a challenging period.
He mentioned that he spent two days in prison and there was a moment when they wanted to shave his hair, but the warden prevented it from happening.
Omah Lay believes that his unpleasant experience in Uganda was necessary for his musical growth and to propel him to the next level in his career.
He said; “My ordeal in Ugandan prison was an amazing time for me. Although it was rough at the moment now looking back at the whole thing, it had to happen. It gave me the relationship I have with Tems and her manager, Muyiwa [Awoniyi] today. He [Muyiwa] was in the same cell with me.
“We were in Uganda for a show during the pandemic. We had paperwork to perform but for some reason, we got arrested after performing. And we are sent to jail. We were in jail for two days.
“It was just a very horrible experience. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that. They were going to cut my hair, I wore a prison uniform. They were so close to cutting my hair but the person who was in charge of the prison was a fan of my music. He got us a nice spot in jail and took care of us.”
