LAGOS: US YouTuber IShowSpeed visited Nigeria’s cultural and economic capital, Lagos, as part of his African tour on Wednesday, where he celebrated his 21st birthday by hitting 50 million subscribers.

The YouTube and Twitch star’s tour kicked off on December 29, travelling through some 15 countries across Africa and drawing crowds at every stop.

Rolling Stone magazine named him the Most Influential Creator of 2025, while Forbes estimates his net worth at $20 million.

IShowSpeed began his Lagos visit at the bustling Balogun Market in the Lagos Island district, where crowds heckled him and asked for money.

“What are they saying? It’s like they’re speaking English, but a different kind of English,” the influencer, surrounded by bodyguards, remarked as he quickly left the market.

At Freedom Park, located on the site of a former prison, he jumped at the spicy kick of his first bite of jollof rice before heading to the Nike Art Gallery – a must-see for every celebrity and high-ranking political figure who comes to Lagos.

“IShowSpeed is showcasing the culture, relationships, cultural differences and food,” Stephen Oluwafisayomi, a 24-year-old YouTuber known as Stevosky, told AFP at Freedom Park.

“He wants Americans to see Africa as a place they can also come to,” he added.

At around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), IShowSpeed, who was celebrating his birthday, stopped his security convoy at the side of the road to watch his YouTube channel hit 50 million subscribers and proceeded to shove his face into a cake for the occasion.

“He may have shown some negative aspects of these countries, but that should be able to motivate people to help, contribute and try to improve them, whether by creating businesses, raising funds or by any other means at their disposal,” said Karim Jari, an 18-year-old secondary school student at the Nike Art Gallery.

The day before, IShowSpeed celebrated Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) victory in Dakar.

Born in Cincinnati as Darren Jason Watkins Jr., the YouTube star began gaining traction 10 years ago, first by publishing video game content and later by posting about his travels around the world.

His Africa tour has featured a race against a cheetah in South Africa, a football match with 100 children in Angola, a visit to Kenya’s Maasai and the AFCON final in Morocco.

• Trump says reached deal framework on Greenland.
• Understanding achieved during meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
• Trump says planned tariffs on European allies will be dropped.

DAVOS: US President Donald Trump abruptly stepped back on Wednesday from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize Greenland, ruled out the use of force, and said a deal was in sight to end a dispute over the Danish territory that risked the deepest rupture in transatlantic relations in decades.

On a whirlwind trip to the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Trump backed down from weeks of rhetoric that shook the NATO alliance and risked a new global trade war.

Instead, Trump said Western Arctic allies could forge a new deal that satisfies his desire for a “Golden Dome” missile-defence system and access to critical minerals while blocking Russia and China’s ambitions in the Arctic.

“It’s a deal that everybody’s very happy with,” Trump told reporters after emerging from a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “It’s a long-term deal. It’s the ultimate long-term deal. It puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and to minerals.”

He added: “It’s a deal that’s forever.”

A NATO spokesperson said seven NATO allies in the Arctic would work together to ensure their collective security.

“Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold – economically or militarily – in Greenland,” the spokesperson said.

Respect for Danish sovereignty, Greenland crucial: Denmark

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the US and NATO had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” and that “based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1.”

Denmark said the issue should be handled through private diplomacy rather than on social media.

“What is crucial for us is that we get to end this with respect for the integrity and sovereignty of the kingdom (of Denmark) and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination,” Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR.

Rasmussen said he had spoken with Rutte but declined to provide details on what had been agreed.

Greenland’s government did not reply to a request for comment.

Trump said he had tasked Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff to take part in further discussions.

Earlier in the day, the Republican US president acknowledged financial markets’ discomfort with his threats and ruled out force in a speech at the Swiss Alpine resort.

“People thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force,” Trump said. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

The change in posture on tariffs sparked a stock market rally, with the S&P 500 .SPX index up 1.2%. That added to the market’s recovery after the sharpest equities sell-off in three months.

NATO allies have been unnerved by Trump’s increasing threats to seize the territory from Denmark, which is a long-time US NATO ally.

But in his year in office, Trump has also repeatedly made severe threats that spooked markets, only to water them down or withdraw them completely.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out the use of force in his bid to control Greenland, but said in a speech in Davos that no other country can secure the Danish territory.

“People thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

Trump made the comments in a closely-watched economic speech that has been overshadowed by fraying transatlantic ties and tensions with Europe over his push to acquire Greenland.

He downplayed the issue as a “small ask” over a “piece of ice” and that an acquisition would be no threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) alliance that includes Denmark and the United States.

“No nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States,” Trump said, adding: “I’m seeking immediate negotiations to once again to discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.”

Trump, who marked the end of a turbulent first year in office on Tuesday, is set to overshadow the agenda of the WEF, where global elites chew over economic and political trends.

Nato leaders have warned that Trump’s Greenland strategy could upend the alliance, while the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have offered a wide array of ways for a greater US presence on the strategic island territory of 57,000 people.

“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump said in his speech to a congress hall packed with business and political leaders.

In his speech, Trump also took aim at Canada, saying it “should be grateful” to Washington, a day after Prime Minister Mark Carney warned of a rupture to the US-led global system.

“I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful,” Trump said of Carney’s speech, which drew a rare standing ovation from the Davos audience.

“Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” he added.

The US president said that he would meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to discuss ending the war with Russia, but slammed Nato and stressed Washington had “nothing to do with” the conflict.

“I’m dealing with President Putin, and he wants to make a deal, I believe. I’m dealing with President Zelensky and I think he wants to make a deal. I’m meeting him today,” Trump said, adding that Nato has “to work on Ukraine, we don’t… We have nothing to do with it”.

Zelensky has not confirmed he would travel to Davos and earlier in the week indicated he would skip the forum to stay in Kyiv and deal with widespread blackouts, heating outages and power cuts following Russian strikes.