“You can’t shame me for not speaking Igbo” – Erica Nlewedim responds to backlash over viral clip

Actress and former BBNaija housemate Erica Nlewedim has fired back at critics after a video of her attempting to speak Igbo surfaced online and sparked harsh reactions from some social media users.

The video, which showed Erica struggling with her native Igbo language, led to a wave of negative comments, many of them from fellow Igbos. Some mocked her fluency, while others hurled unkind words, calling her names and questioning her identity.

But Erica wasn’t having it.

In a series of tweets, she addressed the backlash head-on, calling out what she described as deep-rooted self-hate within the Igbo community.

“Look at my Igbo people in the comments showing how much they hate their own! Continue but please don’t complain when others don’t show you love,” she wrote. “You can’t be so openly divided against your own people and expect trust from outsiders!”

Responding to another user who joked about her “struggling” with the language, Erica clapped back with:

“Don’t you think it’s foolish for someone to choose to become your enemy because you can’t speak a language? You don’t even see other tribes insulting themselves for not speaking their language. They are united!”

She didn’t stop there.

In a follow-up tweet, Erica questioned the quickness with which some Igbos are ready to shame their own, especially over something as personal as language fluency.

“Is it your first instinct to insult someone who is [from your tribe] but can’t speak the language? And use words like pig, bitch, shame etc? Of course not! We on the other hand need to learn love and unity,” she added.

While some agreed with her, others felt she was fanning tribal tensions unnecessarily by referencing other ethnic groups. One user replied that her tweet “could have made the same point without dragging anyone else.”

View tweets below…