Nigerian grocery store, Bokku Mart, has apologised after an advertisement video posted on its platform sparked widespread outrage online for containing an ethnic slur.
The video featured an influencer claiming: “I can get beans and Garri Ijebu at Bokku without any Omo Igbo cheating me.”
Many Nigerians criticised the statement as offensive and inappropriate, highlighting the dangers of using ethnic stereotypes in marketing.
On X, a user named Pharaoh wrote: “Imagine a brand as big as Bokku Mart relying on ethnic stereotyping and slurs for marketing.
The whole marketing team watched this video, approved it, and no one thought the ‘Omo Igbo’ comment was wrong? You people need to do better.”
Other Nigerians shared similar sentiments. Osondu Chibuzo said, “People who were taught from childhood to hate the Igbo tribe. I don’t even expect Bokku Mart to issue a statement on this disgraceful advertisement. I’ll rather patronise stores like Justrite or Jendol, which offer better service.”
Drew added, “With the current tribal tensions in the country, it’s baffling that a company would release such content. This is entirely unnecessary.”
Ola commented, “Cheating isn’t tribal. This could have been marketed successfully without the ‘Omo Igbo’ remark.”
Chisom Miracle noted, “Bokku Mart is relying on tribalism to boost sales, which will backfire. Using slurs like ‘Omo Igbo’ to generalise an entire group is unacceptable.”
In response, Bokku Mart issued an apology, saying: “We are very sorry. The influencer has been cautioned, and the video has been removed from all platforms. We do not condone this at all. Bokku Mart is pro-Nigerian in all dealings and would never intentionally hurt any part of our beautiful country.”
