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Twitter exchange between Dabiri-Erewa and a user: My take

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Abike Dabiri-Erewa

By BAMIDELE JOHNSON

The infernal Twitter exchange between Abike Dabiri-Erewa and a user, who opened the conversation by calling the NIDCOM boss mumu, as well as the pile-on that followed made for interesting reading. I’d have reacted like Dabiri-Erewa. No debate. Social media users, especially those on Twitter, seem to think everybody withers when faced with a pile-on.  Dabiri-Erewa showed she’s no shrinking violet. The late Bola Ige, back in 82, I think, was on a live radio Yoruba programme where a Muslim woman in the audience (no phone-ins in those days) accused him of lying.

“Gomina, o ti pe ti e ti e ti n’paro wipe e n’se eto eko ofe, sugbon ti iwe o kari awon omo ile iwe. Pataki, e ma fun awon omo ile iwe to je Kristiani ni Bibeli, sugbon e ki fun awon ti o je Musulumi ni AlQurani,” said the woman. She said Ige had been lying for long that his government was implementing free education, but the books it provided didn’t go round. More importantly, she said Ige’s government gave Bibles to Christian students, but starved Muslim students of the Holy Quran.

No debate. Social media users, especially those on Twitter, seem to think everybody withers when faced with a pile-on.  Dabiri-Erewa showed she’s no shrinking violet.

Ige didn’t wait for her to finish. “Eni ti o ba wa lati ile ire ko ni so wipe gomina n’paro. Esin Islam ati Kristiani ko wa wipe ki a ma bowo fun awon olori wa,” replied Ige. In very simple terms, Ige replied that the woman was a product of ill-breeding. Otherwise, she’d not have called a governor a liar, adding that both Islam and Christianity require adherents to respect their leaders. He later dismissed the woman’s claims as fantasy planted in her head by “Egbe Onile”, as NPN was known to Yoruba speakers.

READ ALSO: Harvest of garlands as Abike Dabiri-Erewa clocks 60

There’s a standard of behaviour expected of public officials, but I don’t think the highest Zen level is part of it. I’m fairly foul-mouthed and I don’t think I’ll be as cool as the other side of the pillow if you open a conversation with me with mumu. No chance.

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