Just weeks after Meghan Markle's high-profile visit to Nigeria with her husband Prince Harry, the West African nation's First Lady made a bold statement, urging women to "not accept nakedness" as she slammed scantily-clad American celebrities.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visited Nigeria on May 10 on an invitation from the chief of defence staff, the country's highest-ranking military official.
During the visit, Meghan Markle, who claimed that she was 43 per cent Nigerian, wore a variety of outfits, including a printed halter-neck dress, a backless peach dress, a white strapless dress and a red strappy dress with a ruffled hem.
However, Oluremi Tinubu, wife of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, is not impressed with the way US celebrities dress. In a stern warning, she asked women of Nigeria, "Don’t lose yourself trying to emulate American celebrities".
Speaking in the capital Abuja at an event to mark the one-year anniversary of her husband coming to power, Oluremi Tinubu said, “We have to salvage our children. We see the way they dress. We are not having the Met Gala. And everyone, the nakedness, is just everywhere and the men are well-clothed.”
She urged young women and teenagers to "dress more modestly" and "reject the scantily-clad styles" popularised by American celebrities, The New York post reported.
“Tell them we don’t accept nakedness in our culture. That is not beautiful. It’s not beautiful at all.”
Commenting on Meghan Markle visit, Oluremi Tinubu said, "Why did Meghan come here looking for Africa? That is something we have to take home. We know who we are. Don’t lose who you are."
While emphasising on the beauty of Nigerian women, she said that "they’re all beautiful girls, but they should be confident in who they are", reports The New York Post.
“We are fashionable, we see what is going on.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ three-day visit to Nigeria marked their first official trip to Africa since stepping down as working royals and relocating to California in 2020.
Meanwhile, some critics have slammed Meghan Markle's outfit choices during the Nigeria visit, saying she should have shown "more modesty" in a Muslim-majority nation.
Another fashion expert said she "showed too much skin".
One outfit that stood out was the backless peach dress, called 'Windsor Gown-Blush', designed by California-based Heidi Merrick.
Windsor is the last name of the UK royal family and is named after the royal residence.
Critics opined that the dress choice was a strategic move to forge ties to the Windsor name, while others called it a subtle jab at the royal family.
