Musician, producer and songwriter, Tems, has reminisced on her ordeal in a Ugandan prison in 2020, describing it as a ‘blessing in disguise’.
It may be recalled that Tems and Omah Lay were arrested and charged to court by the Ugandan authorities for allegedly flouting the COVID-19 regulations.
The duo had performed separately at a concert which held in Speke Resort, Kampala, on the 12th of December, 2020. After their arrest made headlines, Tem and Omah Lay were subsequently detained in prison, but released days later after the Nigerian government’s intervention.
Talking to ES Magazine about her experience, the ‘Damage’ crooner said she felt honoured to have experienced prison as it humbled her.
According to the 28-year-old singer, she wouldn’t have known what prisoners were going through if she hadn’t gone through the same herself.
Tems said; “Prison was once in a lifetime experience that I actually feel honoured to have had because otherwise, I would never have thought about these people, and to be in their presence was very humbling”.
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CorrectNG reported earlier that the Budding Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, known professionally as Tems recounted her unpleasant experience in 2020 when she was detained at a prison in Uganda.
Revisiting the experience during a recent interview with Angie Martinez of Power 105.1 FM, New York, Tems said she spent two nights in jail.
The ‘Try Me’ hit-maker, however, insisted that neither of them broke the COVID-19 restrictions as alleged and she claimed “it was a setup.”
The Grammy winning singer said she thought she was being sent to jail as part of a higher purpose and she was “already settling in” as she emphasized that she adapts very quickly.
Tems said; “We didn’t break the [COVID-19] rules. It was basically like a set up. We went to Uganda, I had a show there. It was during COVID year but they had opened things up that time. They had just had a rally in Uganda. People were going out. It wasn’t on lockdown. It was the aftermath.
“And the organisers said they had the permit, they sent us the permit. Everything was cool. And went there and there is this particular artiste, I’m not sure now what his role was but he was just busy threatening Nigerian artistes that they shouldn’t come. And after the show, the police came. They weren’t in uniforms. They just knocked on my hotel room. My manager and I were eating lunch or dinner. And they just came and said we should follow them and my manager was like he would go with them.
“So, he went with them. But they came back upstairs to pick me up. So, it was like who called them? Later, I found out that there was some weird… That was so scary. I spent two nights in prison. I thought I wasn’t gonna come out. I thought maybe I was going through it for a reason. I was like maybe this is for me to help the people in prison. It was crazzy, I ain’t gonna lie. I was settling in because I adapt real quick.”
