Nigerian skitmaker Cute Abiola has issued a public apology to former First Lady Patience Jonathan for past jokes that mocked her response to the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok. The apology comes over a decade after Mrs. Jonathan became a target of national ridicule for grammatical errors and her emotional delivery during a televised plea while her husband, Goodluck Jonathan, was president.
Despite her clear grief and urgent demand for answers, her words have been widely used as comic relief for more than ten years. The content creator's apology follows the recent mass abduction of teachers and pupils, some as young as two years old, in Oyo State.
In a post shared on his Instagram page, Cute Abiola expressed regret over the widespread humiliation Mrs. Jonathan faced from Nigerians when she was simply speaking up for abducted children. His post reads: 'MUMMY! I just want to say we are sorry. Years ago, when you cried on national television over the pain, bloodshed, and kidnapping of innocent children, you felt the pain of the victims and their families. You spoke with emotion because you understood the gravity of what was happening to our nation. Today, as kidnapping and insecurity continue to affect innocent Nigerians, many now realize that your tears were not weakness. They were humanity. We are sorry for the ridicule. Thank you for caring. Thank you for speaking up. And may God comfort every family affected by this tragedy and restore peace to our nation.'
The apology has sparked conversations online about the treatment of public figures during moments of vulnerability and the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria.
