Brand influencer Defolah has apologised following backlash over an offensive advert she did for grocery store Bokku Mart.
The video, which began circulating online at the beginning of the week, was originally posted on Bokku’s official platform.
In the clip, Defolah said, “I can get beans and Garri Ijebu at Bokku without any Omo Igbo cheating me,” a remark that triggered outrage among social media users who accused the influencer and the brand of promoting ethnic stereotyping.
An X user named Pharaoh wrote: “Imagine a brand as big as Bokku Mart relying on ethnic stereotyping and slurs for marketing. The whole marketing team sat down, watched this video, approved it and not one person thought ‘without any omo Igbo cheating me’ was wrong???? You people need to do better.”
Similarly, Drew added: “That’s exactly what I discussed with my guy yesterday. With the way tribalism war is in this country, you guys still come up with this rubbish. Omo na wah for them sha.”
Responding to the backlash, Defolah posted a video apology on her X page on Tuesday.
She said, “I am deeply sorry for my words. I have definitely learned from this,” admitting that her statement “came off as tribalist and offensive,” though it was not her intention.
Defolah added that she had contacted Bokku Mart to apologise and expressed that “everyone involved should take responsibility.”
Meanwhile, Bokku Mart has deleted the controversial advert and issued its own apology to Nigerians.
According to The Guardian, the company said: “We are sorry, very sorry, an influencer used the words and she’s been cautioned. We’ve taken it down everywhere and do not condone this at all. If anything, we are very pro-Nigerian in our dealings and will never intentionally hurt any arm of what makes us a beautiful country.”
