Nollywood star Tonto Dikeh has launched a scathing attack against popular Nigerian social media platform Instablog9ja, accusing the blog of deliberately misrepresenting her words and fabricating controversy for clicks. The actress took to Instagram to express her frustration after the blog allegedly twisted her recent comments about DNA testing.
The controversy began when Dikeh shared a post questioning societal perspectives on paternity testing. I was under the impression that women are supposed to avoid DNA tests. Why are men the ones running from the test?” she wrote in what she later clarified was related to her foundation work. Despite this clarification, several blogs, including Instablog9ja, reportedly linked her comments to the ongoing paternity dispute involving celebrity barman Cubana Chief Priest and his alleged Kenyan baby mama.
Dikeh’s response was swift and unequivocal. In a strongly-worded Instagram post, she condemned the blog’s reporting practices: “Your misrepresentation is both reckless and misleading. You deliberately omitted the part where I clarified that this was a foundation-related matter and instead attempted to fabricate a conflict. Such blatant manipulation is unacceptable.”
The actress didn’t stop there, further alleging that the popular blog engages in unethical practices: “If you aren’t engaging in taking bribes today, tomorrow you’re actively spreading falsehoods and distorting people’s words. Either way, your credibility remains in question.”
This public confrontation highlights the increasingly contentious relationship between Nigerian celebrities and the country’s influential social media blogs. As these platforms have grown in reach and impact, many public figures have voiced concerns about how their statements are framed, often without context or with deliberate sensationalism to drive engagement.
Media ethics experts have noted that the Nigerian digital media landscape operates with minimal regulatory oversight, creating an environment where accuracy can sometimes take a backseat to generating viral content. The tension between speed of reporting and factual accuracy has become particularly pronounced on platforms that prioritize breaking news and celebrity gossip.
For Dikeh, this incident appears to have struck a particularly sensitive nerve. The actress and philanthropist has frequently found herself the subject of tabloid speculation throughout her career, with her personal life often scrutinized in the public domain. Her foundation work, which focuses on vulnerable children and disadvantaged communities, sometimes receives less attention than stories about her personal relationships.
In the latter part of her Instagram response, Dikeh made it clear she has no interest in commenting on others’ personal affairs: “I don’t give a flying FK what goes on in anyone’s home/Life. I just don’t care about people like that. I am in my lane, leave me there. I don’t have no gaddammn opinion about No Bodies personal life.”
This statement reflects a growing trend among Nigerian celebrities who are increasingly setting boundaries around their public personas and private lives. Many have begun directly challenging media outlets that they believe cross these boundaries or misrepresent their words and actions.
Social media has dramatically altered the power dynamic between celebrities and traditional media gatekeepers. Platforms like Instagram now allow public figures to directly address their audiences and correct what they perceive as misreporting or mischaracterization. This direct line of communication has empowered celebrities like Dikeh to immediately counter narratives they disagree with.
For Instablog9ja, which has built its reputation on breaking celebrity news and gossip, such public challenges from high-profile figures raise questions about credibility and journalistic standards. While the blog has amassed millions of followers and significant cultural influence, it has also faced recurring criticism over its reporting practices.
Media analysts point out that the incident illuminates broader questions about accountability in Nigeria’s digital media space. Without formal industry standards or effective regulatory frameworks, the responsibility for ethical reporting often falls to audience discretion and the platforms themselves.
The DNA testing topic at the center of this controversy touches on particularly sensitive cultural nerves in Nigeria, where discussions around paternity, family structure, and gender roles remain complex. Dikeh’s original question – why women are expected to avoid DNA tests while men are criticized for refusing them – raises important points about double standards in how paternity issues are framed in public discourse.
By clarifying that her comments were related to her foundation work, Dikeh appears to have been referencing the broader social welfare aspects of paternity confirmation, particularly as it relates to child support and parental responsibility – issues her philanthropic work likely encounters.
For now, Instablog9ja has not publicly responded to Dikeh’s accusations. The platform continues to be one of Nigeria’s most-followed social media blogs, with significant influence over public conversation around celebrity culture and entertainment news.
As this story develops, it serves as a reminder of the complex relationship between celebrities, media platforms, and audiences in Nigeria’s dynamic digital landscape. For public figures like Tonto Dikeh, navigating this environment means constantly balancing public expression with the knowledge that words can be reframed, recontextualized, or in some cases, as she alleges, deliberately misrepresented for commercial gain.
