Businesswoman and socialite Dabota Lawson has responded to Nigerians who criticised her following claims that she admires the husband of Olori Atuwatse.

The controversy emerged during her ongoing public fallout with former friend Diiadem, who alleged that Dabota had been openly admiring the married monarch, Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse.

Dabota responds to critics

Diiadem had questioned Dabota over what she described as her “obvious admiration” for the monarch, claiming that she could not stop gushing over him.

Following the allegation, some social media users criticised Dabota and accused her of having a crush on a married man.

However, Dabota dismissed the criticism, questioning whether admiring an accomplished man was inherently wrong.

She wrote:

“I didn’t know that admiring great men was suddenly a bad thing.”

The businesswoman also referenced the Christian concept of women praying for their “Boaz,” while comparing it to the common practice of having harmless celebrity crushes.

“As Christians, don’t women pray for their Boaz? And don’t people openly have harmless celebrity crushes?”

Dabota’s past marriage

Dabota was previously married to billionaire businessman Prince Sunny Aku in a highly publicised ceremony. The marriage ended less than a year later, with the couple separating in 2015.

The former beauty queen has previously spoken about rebuilding her life after the divorce, revealing that she started her business from a small space under the staircase of a mall.

She also recalled being mocked by friends who questioned why she left a billionaire husband to start a business from scratch.

Dabota has previously suggested that infidelity played a role in the breakdown of her marriage, although she did not publicly identify the woman she accused of being involved with her former husband.

Her latest response comes as her feud with Diiadem continues to generate reactions online.