Ace comedian and renown compere, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, who is professionally known as Ali Baba, has hit back at “hypocrites” who have a problem with the pictures he took with Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed; amid his inauguration into the planning committee of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Taking to his instagram page on Wednesday, June 16, Ali Baba writes that; “I got inaugurated into the planning committee of the #UNWTO 1st global conference on Tourism and creative industry: towards capacity building and increasing economic value for Practitioners worldwide, after the Covid-19’s scourge.
“Bulk of comments have been congratulatory and of best wishes. However, if you go through the comments section, you will see some few ill conceived comments.
“Suggesting that I should not have taken pictures with the Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism. Much as it is their opinions, that I then respected, I felt there was need to bring the matter of hypocrisy to the fore again.”
Ali Baba then delves into the direct messages he received and how he took one bank employee to the cleaners.
“I got 3 direct messages(DMs).
“The first one said I sold out, for accepting to work with a government that did not care for the people that voted them into office. I checked the person’s account; the account had 4 posts, 12 followers and following 25 people. It also said “Follow back “
“The second DM, asked that I should not accept the appointment into the committee. That it will affect my reputation.
“The last one, is actually why I am writing this caption.
“The person asked if I was so desperate for relevance, that I could not even say “No!”. And I had the audacity to even take pictures and then had the effrontery to post it. “To crown it all you wore an Urhobo outfit and by that rubbed salt upon injury”…. Blah blah blah
“I got curious and checked the person’s page… thank God, it was not private. Turns out, the person is a banker and works in the corporate affairs of the bank.
“Ese, thanks for your kind words on my person and the other unkind venom. My dear, depending on how you look at it, we are in the same boat. Me, even less in the boat as you are. Your MD, at the bank you work, take pictures with the Finance minister and CBN governor, you no resign. Your bank offers these same politicians accounts, help them move funds… you no resign.
“You are not in a committee to make your fellow bankers be better valued. As it’s my case with being in the #unwto committee. Your own na to earn a living.
“So, who should resign?
“What do I know sef? Shebi I am just a comedian?”
Information Minister, Mohammed, is not one of the most liked men in Nigeria.
Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, the World Tourism Organisation is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.