The Nigerian Twitter space is arguably the busiest with activities – some of which are known as ‘vawulence’.
When we, I mean the social media ‘monitoring spirits’, were still curating content about Emdee Tiamiyu’s controversial interview with the BBC, a prominent government official was busy clapping back at Arise TV ‘girls’.
This government official, who is the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri, has even asked the Chairman of the TV channel, Nduka Obaigbena, to call his ‘girls’ to order.
What is the matter?
While analysing Tiamiyu’s interview, one of the anchors of Arise TV’s The Morning Show, Ayo Mairo-Ese, berated Abike for referring to Nigerian youths as cultists and drug dealers in the past.
‘I don’t know why Nigerians like to demarket Nigerians on the international scene. Take it back to 2016, our president had referred to Nigerian youths as largely lazy, and that United Kingdom should not grant them asylum because many of them are criminals’, she said.
‘The Chairman of NiDCOM, Dabiri, also referred to Nigerian people as cultists and drug dealers. So what Emdee Tiamiyu has said is in accordance with what our leaders are saying’.
The recorded clip was posted on Twitter by a tweep, Arewa Daddy.
‘The Chairman of NiDCOM, Dabiri, also referred to Nigerian people as cultists and drug dealers. So what Emdee Tiamiyu has said is in accordance with what our leaders are saying’.
Abike responded, ‘I worked hard to be where I am today, and if women nowhere your age and achievements feel the only way to bring you down is spew nonsense, they will meet their waterloo!
‘Nduka Obaigbena had better call these girls @ARISEtv ruining the broadcast profession to order’.
I worked hard to be where I am today , and if women no where your age and achievements feel the only way to bring you down is spew nonsense, they will meet their waterloo!Nduka Obaigbena had better call these girls @ARISEtv ruining the broadcast profession to order. https://t.co/K4grdhQ9Je
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 24, 2023
But did Abike really refer to Nigerian people as cultists and drug dealers?
Checks by Development Diaries show that Abike did not refer to ‘Nigerian people as cultists and drug dealers’. Therefore, Ayo’s comments were misleading.
The NiDCOM boss was referring to ‘some Nigerians’ in Indonesia based on the tweet below.
Ode! You go to Indonesia, carry drugs, do cultism and come begging to be rescued from death sentence . Thank God for @ndlea_nigeria now saving people like you from death row https://t.co/8xKqKayJTE
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) October 17, 2022
However, Abike’s comments are disrespectful. Ayo was simply doing her job of holding public officers accountable as covered in section 22 of the 1999 constitution.
The former broadcast journalist should have countered Ayo’s comments with facts and a superior argument.
