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The Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has criticised Arise Television presenter Rufai Oseni over what she described as irresponsible journalism, accusing him of misrepresenting her reaction to a controversial social media post involving the Igbo ethnic group.
Dabiri-Erewa’s criticism triggered a fresh exchange between the two public figures after Oseni rejected her explanation and maintained that her reaction amounted to an endorsement of an offensive post targeting an ethnic group.
The controversy resurfaced on Saturday during a panel session in Lagos organised to mark Kikelomo Atanda-Owo Abati’s 20th anniversary in the media industry, where Dabiri-Erewa spoke about what she described as declining professional standards and values in journalism. Blueprint reports
The NiDCOM chairperson recounted an earlier dispute involving a social media user operating under the name “Voice of Igbos” on X, whom she identified as a woman named Stephanie.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, the woman had repeatedly attacked her on social media, prompting her to respond to a comment on one of the posts with a smiling emoji.
She alleged that Oseni subsequently interpreted her reaction as an endorsement of a statement describing Igbo people as “monkeys and gorillas”.
“Somebody replies to her. Then I do a smiley. And then Rufai Oseni comes and says, Abike Dabiri calls everybody, Igbos, monkeys and gorillas,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa denied making the statement attributed to her, arguing that Oseni’s interpretation had misrepresented her position and allowed the controversy to spread.
“So that is irresponsible. And then it went viral. Even though I didn’t say Igbos,” she said.
She used the incident to call for greater accountability among journalists, insisting that media professionals must exercise the same responsibility they demand from public officials.
“We have to ensure that you hold people responsible, but you must be responsible yourself. So we will not accept irresponsible journalism. For you to hold any government official responsible, you must be responsible,” she said.
The former broadcaster expressed concern over what she described as a decline in professional ethics, saying journalists must uphold standards and values when reporting on public figures and interpreting statements circulating online.
“And let me tell you, some journalism is going to the dogs. There’s no journalism anymore. There are no standards. There are no values,” she said.
“The journalists that we were trained by are going to the dogs. There must be values. There must be standards. And not everybody is a journalist, please. That profession is destroyed.”
Oseni fires back, challenges Dabiri to debate
Oseni responded in a series of posts on X, accusing Dabiri-Erewa of using the public event to attack him rather than concentrating on issues affecting Nigerians living abroad.
“Abike Dabiri is more concerned about attacking Rufai Oseni in public instead of doing her job,” the journalist wrote.
He also claimed that Dabiri-Erewa’s demeanour changed when she noticed his arrival at the event and alleged that the latest confrontation was not the first time she had publicly criticised him.
Rejecting her explanation of the social media controversy, Oseni maintained that reacting with a laughing emoji to a post denigrating an ethnic group could reasonably be interpreted as an endorsement of its message.
“You are guilty as charged. How can you share a laughter emoji at a post that denigrates a tribal group? I put it to you, your laughter here was an endorsement of a denigrating tweet against a certain ethnic group,” he wrote.
Oseni challenged the NiDCOM chairperson to a public debate, saying he was prepared to defend his position and explain why he believed her reaction amounted to an endorsement of bigotry.
“Your problem is you can’t stand the truth. I will like to challenge you to a debate on this issue where I will speak the truth to your face and prove to the world you endorse bigotry,” he said.
He also urged Dabiri-Erewa to focus on the responsibilities of NiDCOM rather than engage in a public dispute with him.
Dispute raises questions about social media interpretation
The disagreement centres on the interpretation of Dabiri-Erewa’s emoji reaction and whether it could reasonably be understood as approval of an offensive message about the Igbo people.
While Dabiri-Erewa insists that she did not describe Igbo people as “monkeys and gorillas” and accuses Oseni of irresponsibly attributing the statement to her, the journalist argues that her reaction to the post amounted to an endorsement of its content.
The distinction is significant because reacting to a social media post is not necessarily the same as authoring or repeating its contents. However, the meaning of an emoji reaction can depend on the context of the original post, the surrounding conversation and how a reasonable audience would interpret the response.
The full context of the original social media exchange was not independently established in the reports of the confrontation. Consequently, the two parties’ competing interpretations remain central to the dispute.
The episode has renewed attention to the responsibility of journalists when reporting social media controversies, particularly those involving ethnic identity and potentially inflammatory statements.
It also highlights the need for public officials and media professionals to distinguish between a direct statement, an endorsement inferred from a reaction and an allegation made by another person.
Dabiri-Erewa’s comments were delivered at an event focused on the media profession, while Oseni’s response shifted the dispute to social media, where both parties defended their positions.
Neither side appeared to have withdrawn its position in the exchanges reported on Sunday.
The dispute has therefore moved beyond a disagreement over a single emoji to a broader argument about journalistic responsibility, public accountability and the interpretation of online speech.
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