The emotional scene that unfolded during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent State visit to Brazil has continued to spark conversations among Nigerians at home and abroad. A Nigerian women leader residing in Brazil, who broke down in tears before the President, has now explained the reasons behind her emotional outburst.
Speaking to The Ancestral News shortly after the bilateral meetings between President Tinubu and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the women leader , Mrs Favor Emeka revealed that her tears were not of despair but of frustration mixed with hope.
“I cried before President Tinubu because Nigerians in Brazil have been pleading for years for a functioning Consulate in São Paulo. We have no direct access to critical services like passport renewal, documentation, or consular support. The Nigerian community here is large and growing, yet our voices have been ignored. When I saw the President, I couldn’t hold back my emotions,” she said.
For more than two decades, Nigerian associations and community leaders in Brazil have pushed successive governments in Abuja to reopen or establish a consulate in São Paulo, home to the largest concentration of Nigerians in Latin America. Currently, Nigerian residents must travel thousands of kilometers to Brasília for services, a costly and time-consuming ordeal. She stressed that her tears were also a plea for recognition of the struggles faced by Nigerian women in the diaspora, who often shoulder the burden of family survival in a foreign land.
“Our children deserve proper identity documents. Our traders deserve legal support. Our students need academic exchange opportunities. And our women need empowerment programs. That is why I cried—to remind President Tinubu that we exist, that we matter, and that Nigeria must not abandon us,” she added.
“Our women are the backbone of the diaspora. They raise families, sustain communities, and preserve our culture in foreign lands. Yet, they often face the toughest struggles alone. That is why our association exists — to make sure no Nigerian woman in Brazil is left without support,” Mrs. Emeka explained in a recent interview.
The founder and President of the National Community for Women in Diaspora, Mrs. Favor Emeka, has clarified her emotional display during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit
“I never said a child died between Brasília and São Paulo while traveling. What I said was that Nigerians lose their lives in the process of these long and difficult journeys. We recently lost a Yoruba father to this cause. Women’s voices must be heard,” Mrs. Emeka stressed.
President Tinubu, who was visibly moved during the encounter, reportedly assured the Nigerian community that their concerns would be addressed, emphasizing that his administration is committed to strengthening ties with Brazil and improving services for Nigerians abroad.
The incident has since gone viral among diaspora groups, with many describing the women leader’s tears as a powerful symbol of the long-standing cry for visibility and support from Nigerians in South America.
“I have been making efforts to empower our Nigerian women here. Just last month, I attended the BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro, where I signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on young entrepreneurship. I am also a pioneer of the Young Entrepreneurship BRICS initiative. These are my contributions as a Nigerian mother living in Brazil,” – Mrs. Favor highlighted her ongoing efforts to empower Nigerian women in Brazil.
The women leader emphasized that she is not working alone, but alongside other dedicated Nigerian women in Brazil who joined her in Brasília to meet with President Tinubu and his delegation. “ We went together as mothers, as women, representing the Nigerian voice in Brazil. We sincerely thank Hon. Abike Dabiri for her support and we hope she will continue to help push forward the cause of women in the diaspora,” she added.
