The Chairman of the Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa is trending on Twitter following her response to a user on the recent attack of Nigerian students in India.
There were reports on social media that some students of Nigerian origin are being attacked at the GD Goenka University in Gurugam, India.
Commenting on one of the viral videos via her Twitter handle, the NIDCOM boss explained that the incident happened on Saturday, October 15, 2022, following a football match between African and Indian students.
She said. “This happened Sat (Saturday) as a result of a fracas, during a football match between African and Indian students. The Nigerian Mission immediately took custody of 86 Nigerian students, invited the representatives of the Indian government, and got their commitment to ensuring the safety of the students who then returned back to campus on Sunday.”
She, therefore called for calm, saying normalcy has been restored.
https://twitter.com/abikedabiri/status/1582044556190961664
Responding to Dabiri’s tweet, a tweep, @sensegiver1, verbally abused Abike, describing her as a ‘mumu woman’.
‘Mumu’ is a Pidgin English for a foolish person.
The tweep wrote: “She should go to Indonesia and see how Nigerians are treated. Mumu woman supporting a failed government. She’s equally part of the failure. Eye service!”
Quoting the troll’s tweet, Abike Dabiri said, “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”
The exchange has since garnered different reactions from a cross-section of Nigerians.
See some reactions below:
Govt officials, much less on diaspora affairs, are expected to be the image-makers of Nigeria. No matter what, it’s wrong to demonise your fellow countrymen in the eyes of the world. An old Hausa adage says, “you cannot cut off your hand because rotting away”. https://t.co/Bno9s8fA2x
— Jaafar Jaafar (@JaafarSJaafar) October 18, 2022
Your job is to help us build relationships with other countries and create a positive image of us out there but you just called us drug dealers. Well done 👏🏾
— Rinu Oduala 🔥🔫 (@SavvyRinu) October 18, 2022
I can see IPOB #ObiDIOTS responding with anger 😆
— CBN Gov Akinsola Akin🇳🇬 (@cbngov_akin1) October 17, 2022
As a public servant, I get that Abike Dabiri ought to demonstrate emotional intelligence in interactions like this. But I don’t get how her tweet qualifies for ethnic profiling, as some have inferred, unless they are saying drug-pushing is reserved for a specific ethnic group. https://t.co/ZUNooPxZzd
— Gimba Kakanda (@gimbakakanda) October 18, 2022
This is your classic example Square pegs in round holes.
Another public official who has zero clue and no idea what she is doing https://t.co/NSdLCZ5znV
— ＤＯＣＴＯＵＲ (@wakawaka_doctor) October 18, 2022
As a Nigerian, if you don’t have a problem with this tweet, you’re either an illiterate or you don’t know her position in the government https://t.co/Uh3AGAFEdQ
— TELZ (@_Telz) October 18, 2022
According to our survey across Europe, we find an alarming number of Nigerians being held for drug trafficking. Something must be done to curb this. There is no prison you visit that you won’t find mind bending percentage of Nigerians. 😞 @ndlea_nigeria @SIAF_NG https://t.co/JmzAwTKGzS
— SEGA L'éveilleur® (@segalink) October 17, 2022
Dear Abike @abikedabiri , What is this? 🤦🏾♀️. Kai. This is messy. Please clean it up. Quickly. Please.✍🏾 https://t.co/TQ5lc1qIxv
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) October 18, 2022
This is not it at all! When will public officials learn decorum, especially on Social Media, knowing fully well that whatever they say has a big implication on the already-dented image of the country. https://t.co/hu7R6wYbi1
— Slimfit (@iSlimfit) October 18, 2022
No serious country will tolerate this sort of vitriolic and shameful public outburst by a public office holder, let alone one saddled with defending the interests of her citizens abroad. This is disgraceful. You’re giving foreign nations justification to dehumanize Nigerians. https://t.co/qP9J1i9xPe
— Inibehe Effiong (@InibeheEffiong) October 18, 2022
Kids can be sloppy but not adults. Abike missed a unique opportunity to sell 🇳🇬 to the World. She threw Nigeria’s Foreign Policy & Image-Making in the dustin. The World is taking note. Her tweet will further reduce ur FDIs & the value of Nigeria Passport. Read my pinned thread 💔 https://t.co/gtuYeTkmmA
— NEFERTITI (@firstladyship) October 18, 2022
There's probably an Indonesian official reading this tweet and thinking "Be harder on the Nigerians. After all their govt knows they are all drug peddlers and cultists." https://t.co/pHqvlYeXwk
— Ilemona (@I_Am_Ilemona) October 18, 2022
I Agree that Public officials should take some statements made to them to the Cleaners. Ma @abikedabiri with this response you have demarketed #Nigeria, imagine the Number of diplomats who saw this. To swat a fly, if we use a pressing iron- We might burn our Face https://t.co/LeEkGeeQnx
— Kunle Lawal (@kunlelawal) October 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/xndagi/status/1582247908346187776
Madam @abikedabiri! 😳😮 This type of language is unlike you. You shouldn’t lose your temper like that. https://t.co/SlQ9bZjAs9
— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) October 18, 2022
