- The barrage of insults forced him to delete all the pictures on his Instagram page
The Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan Enoh, says the vituperations and diatribes directed at Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi on social media are unacceptable.
The is even as the minister vehemently condemned the cyberbullying of the Fulham midfielder following the defeat suffered in the hands of Cote d’Ivoire in the final end of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Iwobi became target of vicious trolling on social media with some fans blaming him for Nigeria’s defeat to Cote d’Ivoire in Sunday’s AFCON final.
The barrage of insults forced him to delete all the pictures on his Instagram page.
Reacting, the minister said the attacks were uncalled for and assured the player of the support of Nigerians.
Enoh, who accompanied the silver-winning Super Eagles team back to Abuja from Abidjan in the early hours of Tuesday, met privately with Iwobi to encourage and pep him up.
“I am aware of what is happening on social media, and as a ministry, this isn’t the first time we are going to make a statement against bullying, not just you but our sportsmen and women in general who are exposed to bullying due to the outcome of competitions.
“We are concerned about how our sportsmen and women are treated.
“You did your best for your country, and I am proud of you. The leadership and the rest of the country is proud of you. Those who are not are in the far minority and do not speak for the rest of our country, so just be strong.
“You are part of a team that brought home a silver medal, which the country last won at AFCON 2000, which was 23 years ago. You put in your best; thank you very much,” the minister said.
Iwobi, in his brief response, said he had gone off social media after the AFCON final and was focused on forging ahead.
“For me, I have taken myself out of social media after yesterday’s game,” Iwobi said.
He said he had deleted all pictures on his Instagram page and locked the comment section of the post, following trolling after the AFCON finals
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