« We had the solution for Puerto Rico. »
Months after Hurricane Maria rocked Puerto Rico, parts of the island are still without power, and singer Akon believes if he had been given the opportunity, power would have been restored within 30 days.
In 2014, Akon co-founded the organization Akon Lighting Africa, which has brought solar solutions to 14 countries in Africa.
During an interview with TMZ, the singer explained that when the crisis hit Puerto Rico, he offered his organization’s services but that the government turned down his proposal.
“We had the solution for Puerto Rico,” he explained. “We would have had power up in less than 30 days, and they rejected us.”
Akon didn’t give specific details as to why the plan was rejected, but he chalked it up to “politics, propaganda, and special interest.”
“They didn’t care about the people,” he said. “If that was the case, they would have allowed us to go in and provide the solution, but I think it was bigger than numbers at that point.”
As for President Donald Trump’s infamous “s**thole” comment allegedly directed toward places Akon’s organization helps, the singer said no one can “answer” for Trump except himself. However, he noticed that “the average person is baffled by a lot of his comments.”
