We Can’t Blame Them For What Happened – Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Omah Lay/Tems Uganda Ordeal

The Chairperson, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has asked that Nigerian singers, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as ‘Tems’ and Stanley Omah Didia, popularly known as ‘Omah Lay’ not be blamed for their ordeal in Uganda.

Dabiri-Erewa disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy.

She said: “Some people said they committed a crime. In this case, I am sure if they had known, they would not have gone.

“Ignorance is not an excuse, they listened to the organisers. I don’t think we can blame them for what happened.”

According to the NIDCOM chief, the release of the artistes followed diplomatic engagements between the Nigerian and the Ugandan authorities.

Read also: Nigerian Singers, Omah Lay, Tems Finally Arrive Nigeria

She explained that when the Federal Government heard of the arrest, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, contacted his counterpart in Uganda to fast-track their release.

Dabiri-Erewa however advised that to guard against a recurrence, celebrities and other citizens should always notify the Nigerian Embassy of their presence abroad when out of the country.

“Anybody that travels abroad, have faith in the mission. If the Nigerian mission had known that two of our biggest artistes were in town and they just made their presence known, maybe that would not have happened.”

Eko Hot Blog recalls that the two singers were arrested on December 12 for violating the country’s COVID-19 safety guidelines, an experience during which Omah Lay has said he was treated “like a common thief”.