Davido’s first babymama, Sophia Momodu speaks on struggles as pastor’s daughter, pregnancy stigma [VIDEO]
Entrepreneur and mother of Davido’s first child, Sophia Momodu, has opened up about the backlash and ridicule she experienced after becoming pregnant by the singer outside marriage.
Momodu shared her experience during a side panel at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. A video of her remarks was posted on her Instagram Story on Tuesday.
Reflecting on her experience, Momodu said being the daughter of a pastor made the situation particularly difficult, given the stigma surrounding pregnancy outside marriage in Nigerian society.
She said: “This is my life story. I am a pastor’s daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock by a global superstar. And I was mocked. It was crazy. And I had to find my strength in the midst of all of that.
“And for the longest time, I didn’t have a voice. I was famous, I was popular, but I didn’t have a voice. It kept getting drowned out by whatever negativity was around that story.
“If you’re Nigerian and you’re here, you know that it’s almost a taboo to be a pastor’s daughter and have a child out of wedlock.”
Momodu said she eventually became confident enough to share her experience publicly and discovered that many other women had gone through similar situations.
She said: “So, I needed that story to be truly understood, and I’m so grateful for Stephanie because her story gave me that platform. I felt like that put fire in my… I just kept going.”
She also recalled an occasion when an aunt contacted her and asked her to remain silent about her experience.
“And then, an aunt called me one day and said a friend of hers had called her to talk to me to please keep quiet, because this is not a topic that we are allowed to talk about as Black women,” Momodu said.
According to her, speaking about her experience at various platforms, including in South Africa and on radio programmes, helped her realise that she was not alone.
“And I just wanted to say that because of her story, Google, I’ve told my story at forums. I’ve talked about this in places like South Africa, radio stations, and it was just amazing to see that I was not alone. There were so many women that came to me and said, ‘Listen, it happened to me too.’
“And I was like, ‘Wow.’ I’m just grateful for the platform, I’m grateful to be able to tell my story, and because of people like Stephanie and these amazing women on this panel, I don’t think I would ever stop telling my story.”
Momodu and Davido, whose real name is David Adeleke, welcomed their daughter, Imade Adeleke, on May 14, 2015. DNA testing later confirmed Davido’s paternity.
The pair had an intermittent relationship before eventually parting ways in 2022. They were never married.
Their co-parenting relationship has since been accompanied by several public disputes involving issues such as financial support, access to their daughter and public statements.
In April 2024, Davido filed a suit at the Lagos State High Court seeking joint custody and unrestricted access to Imade. Momodu opposed the application, maintaining that she had never prevented him from seeing their daughter and that any breakdown in contact after July 2022 was his decision.
She also raised concerns relating to intimacy and alleged financial disagreements during the proceedings.
In February 2026, following a tense court session in which Momodu’s lawyer reportedly referred to the 2022 death of Davido’s son, Ifeanyi, with Chioma Rowland, Davido announced that he was withdrawing the suit.
He clarified that he had sought joint rather than sole custody, adding that Imade was the only thing he had truly lost.
Momodu, who was born in 1987, is the founder of the Precious Jewels Foundation, an organisation focused on the intellectual development and wellbeing of vulnerable women and children. She also runs a fashion and beauty brand and has featured on The Real Housewives of Lagos.
Her participation in the UNGA 81 side events forms part of her wider advocacy work beyond her personal history with Davido.
