It was a day drenched in memories, love, and quiet tears as Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, known globally as Davido, honoured the memory of his late mother, Dr. Veronica Imade Adeleke, by commissioning a hostel named after her at Clifford University, Ihie, Abia State.
For Davido, whose songs often echo themes of love, loyalty, and gratitude, this was not just another public appearance, it was a homecoming of the heart. The singer stood before the gleaming structure bearing his mother’s name Dr. Veronica Adeleke Hostel, and fought back emotions as he dedicated the project to the woman who shaped his compassion and drive.
“My mother was more than a parent,” Davido said softly at the event. “She was my guardian angel on earth. She believed in giving, in loving people, in lifting others. I built this hostel to keep her spirit alive, so that her name will continue to give shelter and comfort to others.”
Witnesses at the ceremony described the moment as deeply moving. The atmosphere was thick with emotion as university staff, students, and guests joined in prayers for the repose of Dr. Veronica Adeleke’s soul.
“We saw Davido standing there humble, reflective, and full of love,” said a university official who attended the event. “You could tell he was doing this not for fame, but from a place of deep affection and gratitude.”
The Dr. Veronica Adeleke Hostel, now a permanent fixture at the faith-based Clifford University, will provide accommodation for female students, a symbolic gesture reflecting the nurturing, motherly spirit the late Dr. Adeleke embodied in her lifetime.
Born in 1963, Dr. Veronica Imade Adeleke was a university lecturer, musician, and philanthropist whose generosity touched countless lives before her passing in 2003. Her son, Davido, was only 10 years old when she died, yet her influence continues to echo through his life, music, and charitable works.
The university’s management praised the gesture as a rare expression of filial devotion and social responsibility.
“Davido’s act reminds us that true greatness lies in remembrance and service,” one official said. “He has turned grief into generosity, and love into legacy.”
Social media platforms have since been flooded with tributes and emotional reactions. Fans described the moment as “a son’s truest love letter to his mother”, celebrating Davido not only as an artist but as a man whose fame has not dimmed his humanity.
This latest act of kindness joins Davido’s growing list of philanthropic efforts, including scholarships, orphanage donations, and the David Adeleke Foundation (DAF) an organization inspired, he says, by the very values his mother instilled in him.
As the sun set over Clifford University that evening, one inscription on the hostel wall seemed to capture the spirit of the day, a quiet reminder of love that refuses to fade:
“Built in memory of Dr. Veronica Imade Adeleke, a mother to many, whose kindness lives on.”
