Financial advisor and educator Kalu Aja has criticised Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, over his remarks on public advocacy for abducted schoolchildren in Oyo State.
Aja, in a post on X on Tuesday, accused Omokri of taking a position contrary to his past advocacy for abducted victims, referencing his support for Leah Sharibu.
“Reno Omokri advocated for Leah Sharibu when she was abducted. Today, he is an ambassador without a base and says publicity for abducted children is the ‘oxygen of terrorism.’ A man without a moral anchor,” Aja wrote.
DAILY POST reports that the criticism followed Omokri’s comments, faulting Afrobeats star Davido for drawing international attention to the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Davido had used his outfit during a FIFA World Cup countdown concert to highlight the plight of the victims, displaying their names and calling for urgent government intervention.
Reacting, Omokri argued that extensive publicity surrounding kidnapping and terrorism cases could aid perpetrators rather than secure the release of victims.
According to him, terrorists thrive on attention and publicity, citing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as saying that “publicity is the oxygen of terrorism.”
He claimed that global outrage over such incidents often shifts pressure from the perpetrators to governments while amplifying the psychological impact of terrorist activities.
However, Aja, in his tweet, condemned Omokri’s comments, accusing him of double standards.
