Sales of Lands by Igbos: Mixed Reactions Trail Abati’s Furious Response to Colleague on Live TV
- Arise TV anchors, Reuben Abati and Ojy Okpe, almost clashed on TV on Friday, November 22, over his narration about Igbos not selling land to other indigenes
- Legit.ng reports that it all started on Thursday, November 21, when Abati shared the story of how a former minister who was married to an Igbo allegedly revealed that southeasterners do not sell land to “outsiders"
- Ojy asked Abati for his reaction to the backlash he received from a section of social media users who believed the story he shared attempted to use a single story to paint a whole tribe in a bad light, but Abati strongly objected
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering metro.
Awka, Anambra state - Mixed reactions have trailed Reuben Abati's furious reaction to his colleague on air.
Recall backlash had trailed Abati’s commentary on land purchase in 'Igboland'.
Source: Twitter
On Thursday, November 21, the broadcaster inferred that Igbos in Nigeria’s south-east region do not sell land to “outsiders".
On Friday, November 22, Abati's junior colleague, Ojy Okpe, revisited the former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan's comment and appeared to object to it. She said she was only fulfilling her journalistic obligation of presenting diverse viewpoints. Abati was having none of it, however.
He said:
“I was specific about what I said, I provided context. Nobody should tell me any nonsense."
Reacting to the seeming argument, several X users shared their thoughts.
Check out some reactions below:
Osasu Obayiuwana wrote:
"The way @abati1990 spoke to co-presenter @OjyOkpe on @ARISEtv, concerning his previous comments on non-Igbos buying land in Igboland, was horrible. Bullying her is not on. He should apologise to her. And the station’s management should have very strong words with him."
@BuugieDo said:
"I love how Dr Abati put Ojy in her place. You can't try to gaslight the man when he provided context to the story."
@LawrenceOkoroPG commented:
"Ojy and Abati should have been sent out of the studio for bringing tribal war on live Television.
"She was wrong to have brought back her senior colleague’s previous comment on air for argumentative sake.
"Reuben Abati with his wealth of experience could have handled it better.
"Both acted with emotions and neither of them should be allowed to escape sanction.
"That being said, Reuben Abati was wrong to have generalized a whole region from one man’s experience."
Atiku opposes anti-Igbo campaign
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, condemned a social media campaign for forced relocation of Igbo people from Lagos and other states in the south-west region of Nigeria.
In cautioning against such ethnicity profiling, Atiku referenced the Rwandan genocide as a fallout of unchecked ethnic hatred.
Source: Legit.ng
