Mr. Shem Obafaiye, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps who gained fame for the viral 'Oga At The Top' remark, has revealed that he stopped granting direct interviews after his popular ‘Oga At The Top’ interview with Channel TV 10 years ago.
Obafaiye said this on Tuesday while appearing on a live Channels TV programme which was monitored by SaharaReporters.
According to him, the incident caused him to quit giving direct interviews, and he rarely communicated with the media except when attempting to convey a message about an operation he performed while on duty.
He said, “No direct interview except I made arrest and I paraded or give information about the arrest. I didn’t have any problem with the press. What happened came the way it came and so that one didn’t really stop my work as I continued with my work.”
Obafaiye revealed that the incident did not adversely impact his life and career growth despite the mixed reactions that trailed it.
He continued: “You know the name became a grace slogan globally, ‘Oga At The Top’. But all the same, it has not impacted my life negatively; no doubt about it. Though from some quarters, they projected it negatively, insultive. But all the same, one of my cousins after the programme said, ‘Brother!’ I said, ‘Yes!’ ‘Do you like national recognition?’ I said, ‘Yes!’ He said, ‘Be ready for national insult, national embarrassment whatsoever.’
“The rank doesn’t just come like that. That is part of hard-working, commitment to duty and I believe that is what happened and the President magnanimously approved it and my minister of interior as well and I’m now the ‘Oga At The Top, my Commander General.”
The phrase, ‘Oga At The Top’ is commonly used in public and government offices in Nigeria, and it became popular when Channels TV interviewed Shem, who was the NSCDC Lagos State on the need to know the correct website of the corps to avoid job scam.
He was asked, "What is the website of the NSCDC?" And he responded, "I cannot categorically tell you one now." He was asked again, "Do you mean that NSCDC has multiple websites?" He responded, "We can't have multiple websites but I cannot tell you one now, and my oga at the top say is another one and the one we are going to make use of will be made known by my oga at the top."
Nigerians considered his response inappropriate and it subsequently went viral.