Ayo Mairo-Ese, a presenter on Arise Televisions Morning Show, while discussing the plights of Nigerian youths and students abroad, said the government cares less about their welfare and wellbeing.
She also alleged that the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri, had called Nigerian youths drug dealers and other unprintable names in the past, which was why she was not surprised that the government is not sensitive to their plights.
In a live show on Arise TV, Mairo-Ese said, “The Chairman of NIDCOM, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri has referred to Nigerian young people as cultists and drug dealers. We need to, as a nation, begin to project our image better.”
Mairo-Ese was reacting to an issue which trended recently of one Emdee Tiamiyu, a Nigerian, who told the BBC that Nigerians are migrating to study in the UK under false pretences.
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She said Tiamiyu’s revealation followed the footsteps of other notable Nigerians who have spoken ill of young Nigerians on international platforms.
Verdict: Misleading
Verification
Checks by Daily Trust revealed that Abike Dabiri-Erewa, while responding to a tweet in October 2022 about some Nigerians being attacked in India by their colleagues during a clash, assured Nigerians in India that the federal government will ensure their safety.
In response, another Twitter user suggested she visit Indonesia to see how Nigerians are treated there.
Abike however replied saying “You go to Indonesia, carry drugs, do cultism, and come begging to be rescued from death sentence. Thank God for the NDLEA (National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency) now saving people like you from death row.”
Also, Daily Trust carefully analysed the NIDCOM Chairman’s speech and found out that Abike Dabiri-Erewa did not refer to Nigerian youths as cultists and drug dealers.
However, she said “those of them (youths) who go to Indonesia, carry drugs, engage in cultism and then come begging for rescue are the ones treated abysmally.”
Background
Nigerian Youtuber, Emdee Tiamiyu, during an interview with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said Nigerians seeking admission into universities in the United Kingdom only used it as an alternative means to escape from Nigeria.
Tiamiyu, who is popular for issuing academic and travel advice to Nigerians in the UK, stressed that most Nigerians were not looking for new qualifications, but to relocate abroad with the aim of starting a new life.
He said, “The student route is more like an answered prayer. It is a big bracket that’s able to take a lot of people, the ordinary people.
“We’re beginning to see that a lot of people just hide behind the studentship. So, the student thing is not real, it’s not like they need the degrees,” he added.
Emdee Tiamiyu’s remarks followed the announcement by the UK to ban Nigerians and other immigrants from bringing their dependents and family to the country if granted study visas.
Conclusion: Verification by Daily Trust showed that Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in the replied tweet didn’t refer to Nigerian youths as cultists and drug dealers, but made specific reference to the individual tweet she was replying to, as such the claim is misleading.
This Fact Check is produced in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development CDD.
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