A recent article by a respected writer and journalist, Azuka Onwuka to label the chairman of the Nigerian in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa as bigot and ethnic hatred promoter is not only unfortunate but does not represent the view of the majority of us from the South East that he is posturing to be defending.
I have searched the internet and other places I could find anything to justify Onwuka’s tirade and honestly couldn’t find any. If for any reason Onwuka has any axe to grind with Dabiri-Erewa, it’s best he does that directly, rather than hiding under the guise of fighting the cause of the Igbos. She never said what she was accused of saying against Ndigbo, which is calling them monkeys. The Igbo race is a great race of champions who have made exploits in various fields and no one should use it as a pedestal to paint them as victims or lower in estimation as Onwuka is attempting to.
At various times in the recent past, Dabiri-Erewa has contributed immensely to fighting the cause of Nigerians in diaspora through her office, regardless of the ethnicity of the Nigerians involved, she has shown capacity as a woman who holds dear her fellow Nigerians, regardless of what part of Nigeria they are from.
Just last month, twelve Nigerian miners were rescued from the Central Africa Republic through the effort of her office and other agencies of the federal government. The miners who were taken from Nigeria to work in the CAR are Ajosi Julius, Odeh Collins, Anifowose Yekini, Akubo Oluwasewu, Olayemi Adewale, and Stephen Otidi. Others include Samuel Ojochenemi, Alih Muhammed, Bala Unekwu, and Yusuf Bameyi. They were later abandoned and left in very dehumanizing conditions by their employers. The case was brought to the attention of NIDCOM through social media and the commission reported to the federal government and swung into action, leading to the rescue of the Nigerians who had their passports already seized and they were brought back home to their families.
NIDCOM has also in the recent past saw to the rescue of several Nigerian girls, some underaged from different countries across Africa and overseas, with the rescued victims and their families praising the role played by Dabiri-Erewa. She has been seen on several occasions following up with the rescue missions and personally receiving the victims upon their arrival.
Some years ago Alexander Udoma and Ebeh Keneth Chinedu found themselves in a very unfortunate situation in Bosnia Herzegovina . Who saved them ? Abike Dabiri . Of the over 20O girls trafficked from Ghana , rescued by Abike , about 163 were from the South East . Who saved them ? Abike
President of Nido Africa , Prof Jude Osakwe , Nido Europe Chibuzor Ugochi , Chairman BoT Nido Ghana, Chief Callistus Eleziowua ( all leaders from the South East )have openly attested to the amazing . good natured . de tribalized person Abike is . These are people that she has worked with in the course of her highly remarkable work as Nidcom chairman
It is quite unfortunate to see someone like Mr. Azuka Onwuka trying to garb someone who is diligently performing her assigned duties and contributing to humanity in the cloaks of a tribalist and bigot with the not so thoughtfully penned article published in The Punch newspaper of Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
Opinion sent in by Bestman Nze-Jumbo,
President TeamNigeria4Change
Bestmannze1@gmail.com
