Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has shared photos she took with Abu Dhabi's alleged tallest man, Abdul Jabbar.

She wrote on X, "So, here I am, standing next to Abdul Jabbar, a concierge at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Abu Dhabi, known for his exceptional height of nearly 7 feet 6 inches. He is most likely the tallest man in the Emirates."

She added, "My problem now is what to tell my Umu-Ada back home in the village. This ain't good for my street cred. They don't call me 'Agbala Nwanyi' for nothing.... I'm probably the tallest woman they have ever seen. But this man practically dwarfed me."

Abdul Jabbar has been the face of Dubai's hospitality for more than a decade.

Since 1994, the 41-year-old from Pakistan has been mobbed nearly 100 times daily by guests – the tallest ones reach only to his chest – at the InterContinental Hotel Dubai.

Most people usually ask him, "Why don't you play basketball?" Witty and confident, he livens up the mood wherever he goes. "I don't want to look down on others, but I can't help it – I'm 2.25 metres tall," he often jokes.

He says the hotel management takes good care of him. The company provides him with a business-class air ticket to travel back home, allowing for extra legroom. He sleeps under a custom-tailored blanket on a custom-made bed in a studio flat – all of which are arranged by the company.

"They've been very good to me, and I've enjoyed working here. I wouldn't go anywhere else."

Jabbar dreams of getting a role in Bollywood one day

Jabbar's friends advised his wife (she is 1.62metres tall) not to say ‘yes' to him when he ‘proposed' to her. "There were people on rooftops who wanted to see me when my family visited my wife's home for the first time," recalls Jabbar.

"All she could say then was, ‘My goodness'. Thankfully, now we're the happiest couple. When I'm on holiday back home, we always eat together and share our worries."

A father of three, Jabbar's children are studying in Lahore and want to become doctors and engineers.

Jabbar has taken his height as a boon even if he cannot drive a car, shop for shoes or visit public restrooms.

"Life's a one-shot deal", he says. '"Best to make the most ot it".

ASA