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A media adviser to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fire for allegedly pulling out from a conference due its inclusion of Idris Okuneye, also known as “Africa’s first male Barbie”.
Bashir Ahmed, Buhari ‘s personal assistant on new media, announced on Twitter his withdrawal from a conference on the use of social media in the capital Abuja.
Although he did not give any reason for his decision, local media claimed it was due to Okuneye’s inclusion in the discussion panel.Ahmed’s withdrawal has stirred criticism, amid people claiming it was a reflection of Nigeria’ stance on homosexuality, which is illegal in the African nation.
Subomi Plumptre, a member of the Alder Consulting comapany, also withdrew from the conference. The company later released a statement claiming Okuneye’s presence at the event would “sensationalise and radicalise” the event, which should “otherwise be a serious discourse on new approaches to media engagement.”Okuneye is a Nigerian citizen renowned for his widespread use of social media app SnapChat, where he posts content under the name Bobrisky. He is know to many as “Africa’s first male Barbie” due to his flamboyant appearance and use of make-up.
Although some people believe Okuneye is gay, he denied the claims in several interviews with Nigerian media.He defines himself as “a cross dresser”, a person who wears items usually worn by people from the opposite sex.It is believed Bobrisky, who calls himself ‘Snapchat King’, lives in Lekki, Lagos state.He once claimed his partner, to whom he refers as “bae”, gave him 7 million naira (£18,264; $22,239) to celebrate his birthday in August.
Bobrisky, who bleaches his skin and has his own line of skin-bleaching products, told the Pulse website he sells around four cream tubs daily, at the price of N100k (£261; $317) each.”I don’t care about what people think. I am just myself. Bobrisky is himself,” he said and added he has at least 90,000 views on Snapchat.In the interview, Bobrisky reiterated he is not gay, but refused to further comment on his sexual orientation.