A wave of backlash has trailed Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), after she appeared to endorse a derogatory social media post that referred to the Igbo ethnic group in highly offensive terms.
The controversy began on Wednesday when Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) about Mercy, a Nigerian girl recently rescued from human traffickers in Libya.
While the original post was widely praised for highlighting the ongoing efforts to repatriate stranded Nigerians, the situation quickly escalated due to the comments of a user responding to it.
A user identified as @akerele_s commented under the post, using deeply offensive and ethnic slurs to describe the Igbo people, calling them “monkeys,” “children of gorillas,” and “bastards.”
“My sister, you are doing well. Allow those monkeys to continue making unnecessary noises… Kudos to you madam @abikedabiri,” the user wrote.
Shockingly, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa reposted the comment with laughing emojis, a move interpreted by many as tacit approval of the inflammatory message.
The repost, visible on her timeline, has since garnered over 15,000 views, 53 reposts, and 100+ comments.
The action sparked immediate condemnation across social media, with users accusing the NIDCOM boss of promoting ethnic division and exhibiting tribal bias unbefitting of a public servant.
“This is the lowest I have ever seen in the history of Nigeria,” wrote user @O.David09926893.
“I thought this page was being handled by a responsible woman. Clearly, it’s not,” added @fybebreed.
Another user, @MrOzor1, commented:
“You never disappoint. You always show the stuff you are made of — a concatenation of vicious and virulent characters hidden behind makeup.”
Critics say the incident reflects a disturbing pattern, pointing to previous controversial remarks attributed to Dabiri-Erewa, including a 2019 statement in which she claimed that 20 out of 21 Nigerians on death row in Indonesia were from a single South-Eastern state.
As of the time of this report, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa had not issued any public clarification or apology, despite the growing outrage.
Neither NIDCOM nor the presidency has released a statement addressing the situation.
