A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has accused governance expert and lawyer, Joe Abah, of disrespecting his wife, Maryanne Moghalu.
This was after a statement his wife made in 2024 was brought to light again by a social media influencer, Ogbeni Dipo, in a debate with Abah, about ethnic slurs.
Moghalu’s wife had warned investors about investing in Lagos during a demolition exercise by the Lagos State Government against illegal structures and unapproved buildings that block canal pathways, causing flooding in certain parts of the state.
During the debate on ethnic slurs, Abah was reminded of Moghalu’s wife’s words on X, “Invest in Lagos at your own peril,” which were seen as demarketing Lagos.
Reacting, Abah said, “Maryanne Moghalu will not stop me or anyone else from investing in Lagos or anywhere else. I didn’t need to respond to that even if I had seen it.”
It was immediately brought to his attention that he also doesn’t have to be “frightened” by an offensive advertisement by Bokku Mart, since it has been deleted, along with an apology.
Coming into the debate, Moghalu’s wife urged Abah to leave her out of his stories, adding that she has no apology to tender for warning investors about Lagos.
She wrote, “I have absolutely nothing to apologise for about my statement. It was personal, and I reserve the right to make it. When an elder like you chooses to play these games, you become what we call ‘Okenye n’agwo ofe’.
“If you invest with approval and it is destroyed at will, no matter where it is, I will say do not invest there. Period. Legally, if you ignore wrongdoing for a long time and have, in fact, benefited from it, you can not turn around and shout foul when it pleases you.
“These buildings were allowed, and taxes collected on them. Proper due process must be followed and adequate compensation paid where appropriate.
“Please leave me out of your stories. This was completely unnecessary. And for the record, when I made the statement, it was not directed at any tribe. Many properties of non-Igbos have also been demolished. Anyone who, for their own purpose, decides to make it about tribe, it is on them. Your type always wants to be seen as being on the fence and be proud of it. What caution have you given to the blatant anti-Igbo rhetoric that has been displayed here for the past several years? To quote Ned Nwoko’s wife, Biko, ‘Respect is beautiful things’.”
Reacting to Abah’s words about his wife, Moghalu lamented that the lawyer referred to his spouse “in a negative and disrespectful manner in his post”.
“He could have addressed his critics without mentioning my spouse’s name, but of course, he must throw her under the bus to further his vain posturing on social media. I feel personally insulted, and he ought to know better. I know for a fact that @MaryanneMoghalu‘s ‘famous’ statement was emphatically NOT ethnic in its intent or purpose, but rather was about the protection of the rights of investors,” he said on X.
