Kiki Mordi, a Nigerian journalist, has reacted to allegations that she has been taking all the credits for a sex-for-grades investigation which uncovered sexual harassment in Africa’s university system.
In 2019, Mordi and her BBC Africa Eye team had released a 13-minute documentary that exposed sexual harassment of students by lecturers at the University of Lagos and the University of Ghana.
The journalist had gained prominence in the global media landscape since the documentary, snagging a plethora of awards.
On Wednesday, she added to her impressive run after she emerged winner of the 2020 Michael Elliott Award for African Storytelling over the impact of the project.
Ruona Meyer, a fellow journalist, however, called out Mordi on Thursday for allegedly taking credits for the 2019 investigation despite the fact that the project was not inspired by her.
She also enjoined Mordi to acknowledge Oge Obi, her colleague, whom she claimed pitched the story.
“Kiki, make sure this time you at least share whatever prize money there is with O.O and acknowledge her – given this was all her story as pitched, sourced/started. Real journalists have honour and also hold themselves to account, not just the government,” Meyer wrote.
Kiki, make sure this time you at least share whatever prize money there is with O.O and acknowledge her – given this was all her story as pitched, sourced/started.
Real journalists have honour and also hold themselves to account, not just the government. #TruthIsSacrosanct https://t.co/gvmQ42IeFo— Ruona J. Meyer (@RGAMeyer) December 10, 2020
“O.O a fellow female journalist did not get a fair deal, and you remain complicit and a beneficiary of that. The facts, complaints, responses and even her thread are there. Better make it right because journalism can’t insist on ethics & fairness from others, yet cheat within.”
In a swift reaction, Mordi — who didn’t state if Meyer’s claims were true or not — said her tweets were borne out of hatred since she unfollowed her on Twitter.
“Every new day I win an award, Ruona loses it. I will never understand what I did to this woman besides unfollowing her on Twitter,” she replied.
Every new day I win an award, Ruona loses it. I will never understand what I did to this woman besides unfollowing her on Twitter😭
— Commander of the Feminist Battalion (@kikimordi) December 10, 2020
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“There is no side to any story. Investigative journalism is dangerous work. I am the reporter on #SexForGrades Any other questions will have to be directed to the BBC Don’t be roped into Ruona’s joblessness. This isn’t local media where people do what they like.”
There is no side to any story. Investigative journalism is dangerous work. I am the reporter on #SexForGrades
Any other questions will have to be directed to the BBC
Don’t be roped into Ruona’s joblessness. This isn’t local media where people do what they like 😂— Commander of the Feminist Battalion (@kikimordi) December 10, 2020
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Some Nigerians have taken to the microblogging platform to also take sides in the ongoing drama between Mordi and Meyer.
Kiki worked on that project for a long time, she worked very hard and put in a lot of sweat and tears. All of this hard work to rubbish her name and effort is evil.
— Jola (@Jollz) December 10, 2020
I was busy defending @ogeobi_ earlier today and how she got robbed of her hardwork by Kiki, and then, a colleague sent me this disgusting in-depth gutter tweet of her hypocrisy. Girl is a blank pic.twitter.com/YLeISZriCg
— Mrs. Nabeela Ahmadu (@AhmaduNabeela) December 10, 2020
So in the past 2-3 hours we’ve established
1. Kiki never pitched the story or acted like she pitched the story
2. Kiki was credited as a reporter and not a journalist on the story
3. Kiki has won awards for her reporting of the story and not for pitching or researching the story— Ebose (@Dani_Atobs) December 10, 2020
I guess Winter came early for the House of Kiki Mordi. Another Coven Failure.
— SEGA L'éveilleur®🚨 (@segalink) December 10, 2020
I profiled Kiki Mordi for @folionigeria, about #SexForGrades. She said clearly that it was teamwork and that the BBC reached out to her. She used the phrase "we were a team" often. Never claimed it as hers. https://t.co/DeUd7haNmq
— Otosirieze (@Otosirieze) December 10, 2020
We have a lot of Kiki Mordi on twitter, they will steal your tweets, remix it and repost without giving you credit…. Nah so stealing dey start!
— OMOTAYO Of Lagos 🇳🇬 (@Tee_Classiquem1) December 10, 2020
Kiki was simply hired to narrate the story. She wasn’t the undercover Journo in the lecturers’ offices, she didn’t come up with the idea, wasn’t in charge of research, etc. Her job was just to vibe on TV, and months down the line she has Emmy & MTV noms?
Feminist Hushpuppi. 😂
— HARRI OBI (@Harri_Obi) December 10, 2020
The development comes about four months after Oge had called out Mordi for claiming to be the “brain behind other people’s blood, sweat and tears.”
“You have to be a different level of callous to be parading yourself as the brain behind other people’s blood, sweat and tears. Even Satan no do reach like this. But congratulations, big congrats. Now what next? It’s been over a year already,” she had written in a Twitter thread in August.
You have to be a different level of callous to be parading yourself as the brain behind other people’s blood, sweat and tears.
Even Satan no do reach like this.
But congratulations, big congrats 🎊🎉
Now what next? It’s been over a year already,…— ogey (@ogeobi_) August 19, 2020
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