By any standard of fair commentary, Steve Osuji’s piece titled “Abike Must Resign” is not only one–sided but tragically anchored on falsehoods, mischief, and a clear unwillingness to examine facts before reaching sweeping conclusions.
Let it be said upfront: Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has never described Igbos or any ethnic group as “monkeys” or “baboons.” To continue to regurgitate this tired fabrication is to deliberately weaponize misinformation for ethnic sensationalism.
THE FACTS:
The social media incident which commentators like Osuji have twisted is well documented. An anonymous X handle had, for months, hurled vile insults at Mrs Dabiri-Erewa, including calling her “Mother Ape.” Another user mocked that account by replying with a gorilla analogy. Dabiri-Erewa responded with emojis directed at the user who insulted her, not at any ethnic group. Mischief makers then turned this into a false narrative that she was mocking the Igbo race. That is the origin of this controversy nothing more, nothing less.
To then claim she gleefully labelled Igbos “monkeys and baboons” is not only dishonest but malicious. How could a woman of her exposure, pedigree, and decades of service stoop so low? Osuji knows this, but prefers to dress up innuendo as fact.
HER RECORD WITH NDIGBO AND OTHER NIGERIANS
The same Abike Dabiri-Erewa Osuji paints as a “hater of Igbos” has, over the years, stood firmly for Nigerians of all ethnicities. If she bore the alleged hatred, why would she:
Facilitate the rescue of Alexander Udoma and Eboh Kenneth Chinedu, two young men from the South East stranded in Bosnia-Herzegovina?
Lead interventions in Ghana, where Nigerian traders majority of whom are Igbos faced harassment? The Nigerian Union of Traders Association Ghana (NUTAG) publicly praised her in 2020 for “standing boldly for Nigerian traders, many of whom are Igbo, at a time when our livelihoods were under threat.”
Spearhead efforts during the Sudan evacuation crisis, ensuring students many from the South East returned safely, while declaring: “Every Nigerian is our responsibility regardless of state or tribe. No life is more important than another.”
Engage tirelessly during the xenophobic attacks in South Africa (2019), ensuring Nigerians (including Igbo students) were evacuated and compensated, earning praise from the Nigerian Students Union in Johannesburg.
Oversee the rescue of over 200 trafficked girls from Ghana, of which 163 were from the South East?
The list is endless: from Libya to Ukraine, from CAR to South Africa, Dabiri-Erewa has been consistent. Igbo leaders in the diaspora including Prof. Jude Osakwe (NIDO Africa), Chibuzor Ugochi (NIDO Europe), and Chief Callistus Eleziowua (NIDO Ghana) have openly testified to her detribalized, humane and bridge-building nature.
OSUJI’S CREDIBILITY PROBLEM
It is also important to remind the public that Mr. Steve Osuji is not exactly a paragon of journalistic integrity. Only in July 2025, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) suspended him for one year for violating core ethics of the profession by breaching an “off the record” agreement at its Biennial National Convention. The Guild, in a statement signed by its President, Eze Anaba, and Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, described Osuji’s conduct as unprofessional, embarrassing, and a compromise of journalistic integrity. When a journalist suspended by his own peers for unethical practice now mounts the pulpit to lecture others about honour, the irony is difficult to miss.
THE DANGER OF OSUJI’S NARRATIVE
Osuji attempts to cloak his essay in the language of justice, but what it really does is manufacture a hate figure for public lynching. By reducing every disagreement or social media misstep to “tribal hatred,” he feeds into the toxic divisions already tearing at Nigeria’s fragile unity.
It is shameful to suggest that Dabiri-Erewa is running an “anti-Igbo script” of the renewed hope administration. This is a woman with over forty years of consistent public service, a star broadcaster, lawmaker, and now NiDCOM chair, who has defended Nigerians abroad without fear or favour.
A CALL FOR FAIRNESS
Public discourse should hold leaders accountable, yes, but it must also be anchored on truth. Dabiri-Erewa’s track record speaks louder than concocted labels. As the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council once remarked after her intervention in Ghana:
“We may disagree with government policies but we cannot ignore the fact that Mrs Dabiri-Erewa has stood up for Igbo traders time and again. She has shown empathy and courage when it mattered most.”
To continue to demonize her with fabrications is to wound ourselves as a nation. Social media mobs thrive on half-truths; seasoned journalists like Steve Osuji should not be feeding them.
BOTTOM LINE:
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa does not owe anyone resignation over a falsehood. What she deserves is recognition for her consistency in protecting Nigerians Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, or otherwise, wherever they may be in the world.
History, not mob headlines, will vindicate her.
Deborah Amos writes from Abuja.
amosd5956@gmail.com
