media

Blog, Lifestyle, News, Writers

The Winner Of N100k For The 21-Day Challenge Is…..

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Becky Peleowo! We had a peer review to select the winner of our creative assignment for the 21-day challenge on 7/01/2024 with the following criteria. i. No self-nomination ii. Nominate 2 ONLY and explain why they deserve the prize. iii. A tie will be broken by the publisher. After the contributions and nominations by some members of the community, Becky Peleowo and Victor Oladejo tied at 3 nominations each. Immigrants of the Turbulent Waters is a thought-provoking project that demonstrates Becky’s versatility as well as a testament to her progress in creating rich media content. Dear Netizens embodies Victor’s talent as a creative and its captivating cover image shows that our mantra of stacking up digital skills has been embraced by this young writer. As we agreed, the community will strive to reward the best works instead of paying out tokens to encourage everyone. Hopefully, we will start rewarding our intellect with millions of naira soon enough. To break the tie I considered participation and other factors but I will summarise my assessment by paraphrasing the honest appraisal of one of us. “Becky — I noticed that she attended the pre-21-day challenge meetings on Sundays and this helped her in chronicling her work. From her work, she worked on a vocalised poem and attended a skill acquisition which is a testament to her judicious use of time”  “Victor —  I like the fact that he listened to the advice to reduce his unproductive time on Twitter and created a work on Netizens. Hopefully, his next digital project will involve more forms of media production” The projects by Solomon Ekoja and Oluwaseun Osanyinro were equally good. We can be proud that our writers can now create multimedia content. It shows we have come of age. The baby step taken in 2020 has developed into adult strides that will eventually become giant leaps. The 21-day challenge will be a recurring fixture because it will form part of a digital product I’m developing. As we already know, the best part of our journey together is yet to come. By the end of January, we will meet again to chart the path for 2024 starting with our Book In A Year challenge which commenced in June 2023. I thank everyone for their support especially those who participated in this challenge. I’m fulfilled that we learned a thing or two. I also use this opportunity to appeal for more participation from our community. Happy New Year!

Blog, Resources

Overcoming Negative Feedback & Social Media Criticism.

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Worry less & Keep Posting Your Content. The journey to success is long, with lonely roads, epic failures, mad efforts, and experiences that come with joy and pain. The world is growing fast, and we are now in the era of technology & social media. As a result, digital skills are highly in demand. Every day, more people are getting into tech, now that the field is broad and competitive, with experts and newbies all striving for success. The use of social media has increased dramatically in recent years & has become a vital part of our daily lives by allowing us to connect with people by sharing our thoughts and experiences online. Many people get their first gig through social media, and while the story is different for others, social media is like a nightmare to them. The truth is it can’t treat everyone the same. If others make friends, others will make enemies, others will be uninspired and intimidated, and others will see hope and get inspired. Social media is another realm on its own. I recently realized that social media is an open platform, a no man’s land which makes people free to express themselves through their words and deeds. You could be a Content Creator on Tiktok or Instagram, a Writer, a Programmer, or a UX Designer. Social Media will connect you to people with similar skills, they will view your post, comment on it and react to it, and you will do the same. You will be flattered while also terrified by cyberbullies’ unpleasant comments. What you see can either make you or break you. It all depends on how you respond to it. The comment and reactions people get after sharing their content play a huge role in their life and the development of their skills entirely. It also determines how their relationship with people will be online. What you create is yours, but the moment you share, it becomes part of the world, and people will react. We return to the shell whenever we read negative comments about the work we shared online. Those with a fragile mentality stop creating and sharing, while those who are shy keep Creating but don’t share, all because someone said something we didn’t expect to hear or read. People developing a skill feel criticism is a way of telling them they’re not good enough. You accept compliments with flattery but hate negative feedback, criticism is unavoidable unless you aim to be nobody and do nothing. What people say or will say in your comment section could be a point of view you implied as criticism, sometime it could be constructive criticism, but because you are at the receiving end, you resent those feedback and term it as fault finding. Well, maybe the critic sees what you don’t see, not all critics are faultfinders, and some are problem solvers. Accept your imperfections, be more patient with your result, and keep sharing your work with positive energy, love, and enthusiasm. Having negative comments and criticism shows you’re not alone. Courage does not reside in the opinion of others but in your own heart, the courage that has no fear of criticism and cyberbullies. Recalibrate your view, Stop living for other people’s approval, and live for your purpose. It is better to see a comment about my work rather than none at all. Many of us make the mistake of sharing our work to be validated, only to receive criticism that hurts our feelings. Whenever you upload content, is not everyone’s responsibility to adore everything about your content. Someone must drill you by asking strategic questions and judging your skills and the quality of your work. The bitter truth is Internet bullies are here to stay, I got used to them, and I strongly suggest you do the same. Becoming socially awkward will only make you drift away; it should be more about pushing limits and going beyond your emotions and personal ego to achieve your goal. My mentor once said he sometimes shares his work with deliberate mistakes so he can get the attention of someone better than him through criticism. That’s a good strategy that shows desire, humility, and willingness to learn. The starting point of all achievement is desire, keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat- Napoleon Hill. Did the last comment traumatize you? Is your Self-esteem threatened? You think you’re not good enough, don’t you? Whenever you pay unhealthy attention to criticism, your emotions will interpret wrongly, and it begins to plant a seed in your mind. You stop working on yourself, and you stop chasing your dreams by accepting Yes, I’m not good enough, and I can’t be better. That is self-doubt speaking because you’re not ready for the emotional battle that comes with the job. What we create is excellence in our eyes, but it could be average in the eyes of someone. We can’t blame them; they have a better experience, or probably they’re just here to make you learn the hard way. Take corrections, accept you’re not an expert, own your mistakes, embrace your ignorance, learn from it, and improve on it. Keynote Critics have the right to criticize your work whether you deserve it or not. It doesn’t necessarily represent oppression but a right to openness. Some of the negative comments you read about your work are a reaction from someone that wants you to improve and do better. Considering the source (Who’s criticizing you is vital), the scrutiny can be from an expert with more ability and experience than you. They saw the flaws in your work and pointed them out, be wise and pay less attention to their choice of words and be teachable. Criticism leads to interactions between subordinates and provides directions for corrections. It’s more like a paradox. Ask questions after reading comments and feedback, and be curious to hear someone’s suggestions

Blog, Essays, Writers

The Impact Of Foreign Media On Our Society by Opara Udochukwu.

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  “ I wake up in the morning Tell you what I see on my Tv screen I see the blood of an innocent child And everybody’s watchin “             Those were the exact words of a popular Nigerian – French singer and song writer, commonly known as ‘Asa’ in her song titled ‘Fire on the Mountain’. If I am not mistaken, those words by Asa were expressing the negative impact of television on children. Several times, we fail to actualize the impact of the foreign media on our society. The high negligence on the impact of foreign media has however, made the presence of foreign media to be highly devastating in our present day society. In this concept, it is very important to examine the significant impact of the western pop culture and the implications, using the youths in Nigeria as a typical case study. An analysis was carried out in Takum Local Government Area (LGA) in Taraba state, Nigeria. All the participants used during the vulnerable analysis where all indigenous youths of the Takum Local Government Area (LGA) and constituted both males and females. The aim of the study was to highlight and understand the influence of the western culture on the Nigerian youths and assess the extent of those foreign media on the country’s youths especially in relation to what they wear and in regards to how they greet. Following the analysis, it was disappointing that, a vast majority of the youths in Takum hardly greet their elders due to their exposure to the western culture through the media and if they greet, they don’t go down with their knees to show sign of respect as the culture demands. In addition to that, a high rate of youths in Takum do not have a native attire and if they have, it will be relativity fewer than their western attire. This correlate the fact that, the advert of social media, internet and social networks, has made the cultural value that has been built for the past decades by fore-fathers of Nigeria culture has been thrown down the drain due to what the youth called ‘civilization’. In a more recent time, the tendency for youths to imitate, emulate and mimic what they see on the social media, has been a topic of controversial over the past years. Such tendency paves room for ‘cultural imperialism’. Cultural imperialism is a term used to describe the imposition of western culture on the culture of people in developing countries. Africans and indeed Nigerians have their own culture. Nigeria which is made up of rich and diverse cultural values is beginning to lose most of its cultural ideas especially through the adoption of foreign culture. The sad side of the exposure to foreign media on the culture of a society is that, the glorification of western lifestyle goes side by side with condemnation of local culture. This creates a situation where Nigeria are becoming more British or Americans than the Americans or British themselves and this invariable, creates marginal individuals to the extent that they are rather here nor there. The cases of violence in Nigeria is gradually exceeding that of other countries and is becoming extremely remarkable. It is quite astonishing that, for over 60 years after Nigeria gained independence, the cases of violence have been constantly increasing. The population of Nigeria during the pre-era time was about 180 million and now has increased to over 300 million, but studies shows that the tremendous growth of the population in Nigeria plays an insignificant role in the extreme cases of violence in Nigeria. This poses a very serious question as to what has lingered the extreme cases of violence in Nigeria. Studies shows that, the more violence movies which under aged children watch, the higher tendency for the children to be violence as the grow. Almost all 85 percent of the youths in Nigeria prefer to watch foreign movies than local movies. Big Hollywood (foreign) movies are often associated with the use of violence and in most cases, the winner from the violence are often regarded as the hero. This correlate the fact that, in Nigeria, the influence of the foreign media on youths in Nigeria has been seen as the leading cause of violence in Nigeria and however, a more pragmatic and realistic solution is required. A survey was carried out amongst 42 students aged 15-18. Following the survey that was carried out, all the 42 students could speak the western language (English) properly, about 19 students could not speak their native language at all, which donates about 45 percent of the students used in the survey, about 13 students could not speak their native language properly, which constitute 31 percent of the students used during the survey. However, it was appealing that, only 10 students could speak their native language properly. From the survey that was carried out, it was estimated that, about 65 percent of the youths nationwide could not speak their native language properly but could all speak the western language (English) properly. Vast number of Nigerians today which speak English as a result of the influence of the foreign media, instead of their ancestral language, has caused a barrier in communication between the young ones who migrated to the Urban Areas, some people living in the areas, and old men and women. Nationwide, it seems that there is an inverse relationship between age and deviation from the culture. For instance, youths are nearly 8 times more likely to deviate from the cultural norms than people of old age. The socio-cultural evolution in Nigeria, in one way or the other has provoked development and crisis as well. Many articles speak on the crisis of the socio-cultural evolution in Nigeria but, fail to speak on the positive dimension of the western culture in Nigeria. Westernism accompanied by advanced technology stepped down the pace of Nigeria local technological development and oral tradition. In fairness however, Western

Essays, Writers

Campaign For The Promotion Of Social Media Etiquette by Victor Okonjo.

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  The inception of social media and its wide spread popularity has caused a digital revolution with great impact on social communication and life style globally. The intensity of social media influence gives rise to a clear comprehension of the world as a global village. An important unique feature of social media is its nature of universality. The social media has been observed to be useful across different field of endeavors such as health, entertainment, business and finance, science and technology, social interaction and current affairs. However, despite the positive contributions of the social media, many concerned public enthusiasts have questioned the true extent of social media positivity in our society. With the common understanding that whatever has an advantage also has a disadvantage, some persons have developed the notion that the negativity of the social media out weights its positivity. Others would say, the disadvantage and advantage of social media is dependent on its application. Whatever may be the case, a close scrutiny on the usage of social media today present a fact that there is indeed the proliferation of corruptible and negative contents on the social media. It is even more appalling to know that parts of those who promote such decadence are those who ought to be more enlightened on good value system. One major vice that has become the flash point of attraction is the advent of nudity and promiscuity on social media. On this background, we see how indecency is highly celebrated rather than sanity. A case study is the recent trend on social media code named Silhouette challenge. It is an avenue that let people display all forms of nude expressions in dark shadow. Such act is unhealthy and harmful for public consumption especially for children. In the state of bewilderment, I imagined how someone could sit down majestically and come up with such agenda. It is an agenda that promotes moral insanity but good influence. A disturbing factor about social media is its lack of censorship on contents. Unlike the regular electronic media that gives room for check and balance on viewing contents. The social media is so popular that it is even within the reach of under aged children and immature minds that can get easily corrupted and badly influenced by negative trends such as the Silhouette challenge. Furthermore, the increased number of social media enthusiast that such trend commands shows the level of poor orientation on moral and decent values in our society. On daily basis, the social media has become a platform that some persons use to exploit their moral weaknesses. And when one courageously speaks up against such irregularities, that person becomes a subject of ridicule. We live in a world where people do whatever they like without thoughtful regard for the mental and psychological wellness of their neighbor. The normalization of nudity and other related tendencies on social media is been encouraged by a segment of the society and that is why it is gaining ground. All in the name of entertainment we drag our moral sanity and dignity to the mud without remorse. Now, the society is bedeviled with so much atrocities and one of the contributors is the bad influence of social media. Ordinarily, the social media is a viable tool for connecting the world as a whole; all thanks to technology. The true worth of social media can only be felt when it is properly used and channeled to enhance social and common good. Therefore, there is need for a rapid advocacy campaign on the promotion of social media etiquette. We should not allow the value system of the society undermined because of pleasurable excitement that has weak gains. The youths should be more enlightened against the idea that one can become popular or famous through nudity and sexual antics on social media. Instead, let our popularity on social media be based on constructive and creative contents, which can bring about social and mental development of the human mind. The only way to do so is by allowing the standard of etiquette to guide your usage of social media. This will allow for productive use of the platform. Without social media etiquette, the reign of immoral and indecent trends such as nudity will continue to thrive as a normal occurrence. The common saying “Where there is no law, there is no sin or offence” gives us a good understanding of this discuss. Dear readers, let us make common sense from this discuss by discouraging the embrace of nudity and indecent trends on social media personally and collectively to promote an ecosystem of good values.   Victor Okonjo is a student of Computer Engineering, Federal University of Technology Akure. He has a keen drive in the creative expression of thought and ideas through the Pen. He can be reached at okonjovico@gmail.com

Essays, Writers

Thumb Crowning by Mbam Chukwuemeka.

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  The annoying clicks from Titi’s iPhone keyboard infuriated me. She brushed her fingers over her phone swiftly, a cocky smile danced upon her lips and occasionally she burst into a slight giggle.   “will you quit doing that!”, I lashed out at her, rolling my eyes over furiously to indicate my impotent displeasure.  “I’m sorry Fred but I am getting so much engagements from my fans on Twitter, the comments are enormous and I am trying to reply some of them. I want to make my fans feel loved so that they can engage more frequently on my posts and retweet my tweets. You know…”  I trailed off. Titi could go on and on for days.  “… being a social media influencer is not an easy task, I have devoted months to ensure that my visibility grows. Soon big brands would start reaching out to me. It has begun sef, did I tell you that Tunde Ednut is now following me and Adekunle Gold recently retweeted my post? The money will start rolling in soon and…”   I knew I had sparked her stalwart interest. My mind slipped out of its cave and wandered about the fascinating plains of my imagination.  The unanswered question persistently clung to the clanking train of my disturbing thoughts.  “Who is a social media influencer?”  The answer that satisfies this question is not far-fetched. The new and innovative era of efficient communication has expanded so vastly as new media are accrued consistently to make the world a global community. It has been the dream of man to be closer to his kind and to avail himself to information even about events that are not within his scene and scope.  The advent of social media platforms, of which most popular amongst is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WeChat, WhatsApp and most recently Tik-Tok has triggered a steadfast modification in the life routines of the average person. This shift has caused humans to adjust to several technological advancements, which of course at this very moment they have discovered the inevitable reasons for usage. Several processes have changed greatly, from virtual communications to banking needs, advertising and marketability have all been altered by this wind sweeping change.   This is where a social media influencer steps boldly into the game. As marketing and sales patterns are changing, people would only love to use a product or service that somewhat has been endorsed by a known profile.   These influencers have become some sort of demigods occupying the virtual space. Many of them concentrate on a particular platform where they strive to grow their followership and develop their niche.   Hitherto, I at this moment understood why my dear Titi, drapes a traditional wrapper and makes funny faces at her iPhone camera. Shen also had a special way she said the word “crazy” that she pronounced in an amusing manner that sounded much like “guweyzzzy”.  Upon this rather modest premise did she grow followership of almost ten thousand on Twitter and still counting.   So you might ask… what does one stand to gain or earn as a social media influencer?   Well, I have painstakingly decided to understand and research about this intense topic so I could make up my mind whether to help Titi out or not.    Amazingly there are alarmingly evident reasons of taking the giant strides of social media influencing. One of the most glaring grounds is the great expansion of your brand name, face and awareness. As more people get to engage with you frequently on social media. It is certain that they would begin to note the difference and similarities of your brand as in relation with others. And if they find it worth its salt and their attention, they would follow your wall on social media and you would directly gain brand trust and popular awareness.  One other reason social media influencers record exponential growth is that they have been able to build a niche that already attracts an audience that has interest in the content that they put out. If a person likes fashion and discovers a social media influencer that creates content on that niche, it is certain that they would follow that person immediately. This is when the gains begin dropping in for the innovative social media influencer who is expected to use the favourable opportunity of influence to boost sale and incur endorsements – this is a proven method social media influencers hinge on.  Another glaring advantage is the establishments of salutary partnerships that results from the consistency of developing a profitable niche that is capable of inducing wide followings. These partnerships might be in form of brand ambassadorships with relatable brands, joint ventures, live events and an alarming host of other opportunities.   However, it is required of an intending social media influencer to ensure that before they jump into this wide pool that they can swim.   Social media influencing in the full and glorious glare of tech advancement is a potential market that boosts of millions of dollars in revenue monthly and is set to hit much more. Therefore, it is safe to say that social media influencers can choose to make a career out of it if they so desire.   Notwithstanding, social media influencing does have a lot of misadventure if not properly handled.   One of these is keeping your neck from getting entangled in scandals that are capable of ruining the reputation that you have created so far. A good number of influencers fall into this ditch although unknowingly at most times. They might end up getting involved in a virtual fracas with other influencers, make a hate statement or a racist comment or relate wrongly with followers. These points might be picked against you and might as well ruin your social media empire.  In the same vein, it might also prove hard to scale or rate your success in the social media influencing system. Most influencers end up entangled with the wrong audience that might at the end not support their niche. They eventually become frustrated and decide to follow another niche that doesn’t appeal to them or halt the whole process entirely.  It is also worthy of note that influencers get a lot- I mean a whole lot of backlash and criticisms from followers and rivals alike. This of course explains why my Titi sometimes

Essays, Writers

The gods Of Social Media by Osanyinro Oluwaseun.

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  In a digital age where everyone has a form of social medium, the influence of some public figures on brands and organisations cannot be overemphasized. The surge in the influence of social media on even the littlest business could be traced to the beginning of the millennium (2000) where brands like Indomie noodles, Coca cola and even telecommunication organisations began to see the need to influence the public to patronize them by putting the face of a public figure in their adverts.  A stroke of inspiration, one could say. To the advantage of these organizations, it worked well in increasing their customers and clients. People simply patronized a business because their favorite actor, artist or footballer also purchased that brand. The social media influencers were within the circle of these top three till other individuals picked up social media influencing as a full time job.  With the varieties of social media applications increasing yearly from Facebook to WhatsApp to Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat and its likes, individuals began to focus on growing a community or a group of followers within a particular application. A community that has over the time learned to trust their words and actions, learned to just like them for who they are and learned to- in social media term– follow them. It is almost as if when a social media influencer says “jump”, followers simply ask “how high?”. This is because influencers spend a lot of time with their audience building trust and followership. The social media applications themselves have also helped to promote the social media influencers by verifying them (giving them a tick) once they meet certain criteria. One would agree that such verification has earned the trust of the public. With such great influence on a large number of people, we can rightly conclude that social media influencers are a great advantage to businesses, organizations e.t.c. However, with everything that has an advantage, there is also a disadvantage as how the social media influencers use their power is important.  ADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS  Trust and credibility is built quickly.  With a social media community that already trusts an influencer, using such individual quickly transfers such trust to a brand or organization. Followers believe in the taste and stand of their social media icon on a situation or brand. This really helps to boosts a brand’s target audience and increase number of clients.  Unpopular issues are brought to light.  An example could be seen in the increase of the #ENDSARS protests online and offline. Many youths came out or began speaking strongly in support when their social media influencer spoke on it or came out to protest. This issue was unpopular some weeks back. Opinions or stand on various issues that seem unpopular can become popular in less than a minute the right social media influencer speaks on it.  Target audiences are effectively reached.  Brands and organizations carefully select social media influencers to boost them. An energy drink company knows that the followers of a football star would probably play football and visit the gym regularly and so would need an energy drink. A football star would be selected for such company than an actress and so without much stress of searching for target audience, they leverage on the social media influencer. Same goes for legal matters, food companies, telecommunication companies e.t.c.  Great creative content.  Social media influencers are creative. Every day, they invent new ways to keep their followers glued to their social media space which includes dropping quality contents. Such creative mind is usually transferred to boost a brand which of course keeps customers glued to the brand by patronizing.  DISADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS.  Success cannot be accurately measured.  The influence of these icons on social media affects the accurate measure of a brand’s or organization’s success. With their help, an unknown brand can become popular in the blink of an eye even though the brand is not reliable or just kick started. Such brand cannot accurately say that their improvement overtime, hard work or consistency brought them into the limelight.  A wrong influencer can harm.  With the same wave an influencer can boost a business is the same wave another can pull down the same. All it takes is for a wrong influencer to be used or such to say a wrong statement. This creates a 50-50% chance when using a social media influencer. Sometimes, it might even be the conduct of such influencer outside the social media world.  Exorbitant fees.  Social media influencers at first influenced for free or cheap price but with the growing competition between brands, organisations and the social media influencers themselves, fees to employ a social media influencer has increased at an alarming rate. One can say there is little or no hope for start-ups to employ them.  With such benefits and yet drawbacks, brands and organizations should first research if a particular social media influencer shares the same vision and target audience before engaging, social media influencers should understand that they hold power over the brands and organizations they represent and should use such wisely and followers should trust their influencer (icon) with wisdom because some brands are not reliable.       Osanyinro Oluwaseun, a graduate of Microbiology and currently a master student of Public Health at the University of Ibadan runs a blog on WordPress deejemima.wordpress.com

Blog, Essays, Monishots

Our Social Media Space And The Need For Reorientation.

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“If you are on social media, and you are not learning, not laughing, not being inspired or not networking, then you are using it wrong.”~Germany Kent Funke Akindele’s recent experience is not one of a kind. World over the bar of moral conduct is often set higher for public figures and celebrities who are perceived as role models. And when they fall short the public queue up to give them a brain resetting smackdown. I did not make them role models. Neither did you. But by cheering almost all their actions we collectively and perhaps even unconsciously goad the big corporations and public institutions to make them brand ambassadors. Some, like Funke and Ali Baba are very well deserved while some, not so much. Of course, Madam Jenifa will be alright, I mean she isn’t the controversial type as much as I know and what’s more, her adroitness should surmount this smudge on a hard-earned career. However, her story brings me to the impact of social media on our societal values as a nation, an issue that I have been mulling over for some time and which we shall explore. The euphoria that embraced the emergence of new media and technologies as an information superhighway that will bring new hope and dignity has all but vanished. And the potential of shaping the political agenda via social media as elicited by the Arab spring only a decade ago now appears to a mirage in the distant past. All have been replaced by incomprehensible elisions, mob mentality and offensive comments. Take for instance the vile wishes that have been directed at our leaders since some tested positive to COVID 19. Somebody tweeted that Nigerian politicians deserve to be infected with the coronavirus. When I asked why, he narrated how he lost his best friend to bad governance, poor hospitals and bad roads. I empathised with him but quickly reminded him that our politicians didn’t drop from Mars. They emerged from and were voted in by the Nigerian masses. Many of us are connected to politicians either as relatives or friends, so if they are infected we could eventually be infected. Moreover, Americans are also dying because of poor healthcare. Should their politicians — whom we often eulogise — be infected too? Another eyesore is the way our youths have bolstered their confidence in cyberbegging. On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram we have real and spoof accounts littering every celebrity comment with account details. Some have even devised the emotional blackmail of adding suicide notes. It is incredible how low some will go for a pittance from strangers. We can agree on hard times but a look at the Ghanaian social media space with whom we share similar unemployment and poverty indices tells a different story. Furthermore, there is an unhealthy mob mentality which I harped on in a previous essay. Some of those who led the persecution of Adedayo and Onigbinde when they were appointed into government positions have been exposed as praise-singing hypocrites who criticised previous administrations. One begins to wonder if these appointments are meant to serve the people or the ruling party? After all, Dr Chikwe who is doing a fantastic job at the NCDC was reportedly appointed by the president after he criticised the health sector. The Nigerian social media space can be toxic and it would seem that we possess a precocious fervour to spontaneously spit venom more than to applaud or commend. Whatsmore these sudden paroxysms extend beyond public figures to each other for holding divergent opinions. Notice that by “we” I have not exempted myself. Indeed I was one of the many Twitter users on Funke’s TL demanding an apology. And even though I didn’t disparage her, I still managed to sprinkle those who attempted to defend her action with invectives. Yet these predilections are not peculiar to us, for even in our often adored ‘saner climes’ like the US and UK, while ubiquitous in their use, online platforms are nevertheless populated by similar narratives with public personalities and ordinary citizens alike savaged on a daily basis. My days are incomplete without rummaging through Trump’s Twitter timeline for the funny but sometimes noxious vitriols between his supporters and critics. However, I discovered a stark difference. For instance, some Americans who oppose Trump claim that he is destroying the country’s values by encouraging racial discrimination while his fans say that he is restoring the Christian values that made America great. The common denominator here is “values”. As Nigerians what can we rightly term as our values, one is often forced to ponder? I mean it may just be a good place to start. Unlike our ‘saner clime’ contemporaries, there is rarely a consensus on what Nigerians consider worthy national/societal values. Of course, some argue that being an amalgamation of different tribes our values will differ. But having co-existed for over a century surely there has to be one common value we cherish. Ok, we have an anthem. It is a song but how many of our celebrities and public officials can sing the national anthem? I will leave that to your imagination. Many of us cannot sing the national anthem but we are ever ready to trash our nation. And often because a so-called ‘influencer’ or someone we admire did. I have repeatedly said that the most poignant emblem of the social media era is the paucity of critical thinking. A lot of half-truths fly across our screens. Mostly conjectures and innuendos of paid rookie spin doctors, yet many willingly broadcast the same by adding the silly tag ‘forwarded as received’ without a care in the world to do a basic google fact check. Frankly, I get worried when respected individuals applaud the Chadian military over a 2015 story in a bid to mock our troops who risk their lives to keep us safe. It is appalling to see supposedly educated people commend a fugitive Imam for insulting Nigeria as a nation of terrorists. And it

Blog, Essays

A lesson from Adedayo’s sack.

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Last week the Senate President sensationally sacked a media aide less than 48 hours after his appointment was announced. Lawan came under immense pressure by APC loyalists including the newly baptised ‘First Lady’. I ‘ve been reading his column in the Tribune for some years now and there is no doubt that Festus Adedayo is good with the pen. I initially sympathised with him, not just for that but also from an ‘esprit de corps’ perspective since we share a common academic background in Political Communication. Now having said that there is a need to differentiate between criticism and insults. I must admit that I mostly skimmed through his scathing attacks on President Buhari primarily because I usually get an adequate dosage of that from the social media and other columnists like Femi Aribisala. Politics is a game and just like in games emotions are rarely contained, but if indiscipline by players and even spectators are punished then it should also apply in politics. Media practitioners represent the fourth estate of the realm whose primary objective is to present the citizens with factual information that will guide them in making decisions. We are not mere spectators, we are like the linesmen who interpret not just for the referee but also for the spectators. I recollect a recent chat with an editor who cautioned me about an offensive phrase in an article I submitted for publication. I had been caustic in my description of a group and he promptly told me that such words cannot pass his gate. Indeed the paragraph looked better when my piece was published. APC has millions of loyalists and their media machinery is ruthless. No political party comes a close second in utilising the power of social media as much as the party has done since the beginning of our current democratic experiment. This didn’t start with Adedayo. In June last year, renowned columnist and the chairman of Vanguard editorial board was forced to issue a humiliating apology after he described the Yorubas as “sophisticated morons”, an ethnic aspersion that was made viral by the South West wing of the APC youths. In the same month, a lady who worked with the Presidency was hounded by APC media soldiers for using uncharitable words to describe Vice President Osinbajo on twitter. She was queried and dismissed afterwards. In the heat of the moment, she boasted that she needn’t lift a finger to work to continue living in affluence for the rest of her life. However shortly after, she ‘nicodemusly’ got another job but somehow her traducers managed to reach her new hirer whose company thrived on government patronage and probably dropped the usual ‘if you want to retain our patronage’ line. Again she was sacked. The young lady who must have learnt her lesson can even be overlooked for her naivety and youthful exuberance but Festus is neither young nor naive. He is a professional who should know better. It is laughable that he claimed he was still considering the job when we know that he had already popped champagne with friends to celebrate his appointment. He also said that Obasanjo received the worst lashing from his acidic pen. Well, having now read some of his toxic writings against Buhari I can say that he may have criticised Obasanjo’s government but he INSULTED Buhari’s personae. Moreover, the Yoruba culture and training couldn’t have allowed him to label Obasanjo a fido dido, demented or having a body double. These words definitely go beyond criticism. They are acerbic phrases that shouldn’t be read from a copy and paste blogger let alone a career journalist. To put it plainly Adedayo sounded like a hateful bigot! Some would argue that journalists are humans and are susceptible to emotional outbursts like every other person. I agree. People are entitled to their opinion regardless of how far fetched or stupid it may sound to you. And frankly, I have read all sorts from respected journalists, especially on social media. One recently wished Abacha’s fate on Buhari for removing the CJN and another suggested that Obasanjo was a mole who should be tied to the stake and shot for calling Buhari a failure. All these are tolerable since we are in a democracy which of course guarantees freedom of speech even though that freedom actually ends where the other’s rights begin. The bigger issue, however, has to do with honour, morality and integrity. It is a poor reflection of our journalism that the prospect of owning a property in Abuja is often too enticing — as Reuben Abati will tell you —  that the ultimate ambition of many is to be appointed the media aide of a politician or some corporate executive. So Mr Adedayo didn’t mind being interviewed for a job by a man he recently described as a myrmidon of the Fuhrer. How can you possibly join a cause you don’t believe in? A man who hates the vulture shouldn’t covet the soup claiming to enjoy the spices. If the Senate President appointed him out of ignorance or the need to placate his PDP backers, Festus obviously accepted out of greed and hypocritical opportunism. His likes are dangerous, despicable and totally bereft of the requisite values to move the nation forward. It was the Apostle Paul who said that “the tongue has the power of life and death”. Mr Adedayo will surely not die for being sacked but the dent of this experience will remain for a long time, and hopefully a teachable moment for us to always guard our emotions in political discourse.

Blog, Essays, Monishots

The APC twitter nightmare is emblematic of a larger societal problem.

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Propaganda may help you win elections but can’t help you govern and that is what APC has seen in the last 32 months ~ Goodluck Jonathan Last week I was amused by something serious. Yes, I was amused because that’s how some of us can get by the daily shenanigans we come across in Nigeria else your blood pressure could hit the roof if you get overly worried. A certain Philip Obin was in news for the wrong reasons. The Nigerian ‘TwitterVille’ was dotted with his mentions for allegedly selling a handle @APCNigeria for $2000. That came after the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, disowned the verified Twitter handle following an embarrassing claim of subtle overtures made by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide Reno Omokri. Apparently, Mr. Obin who owns the handle had been covertly interacting with Omokri -a sworn enemy of the APC- for God knows why. Unfortunately, this is not the first time we ‘ve been treated to similar drama. I recollect that sometime in 2016, the Party had distanced itself from the same Twitter handle after it tweeted congratulatory messages to the former Senate President Senator David Mark on his victory at the Benue South Senatorial rerun election. But it seems a red line has been crossed with this latest incident as the party’s recent statement made it clear that even after several appeals to relinquish the handle, Mr. Obin declined and has continued to misrepresent the party with his tweets, it then warned that it “is now left with no option than to take other lawful actions to restrain Obin from further embarrassing the Party”. While we await the ‘lawful actions’ by the party the handle continues to tweet even as I write. Mr. Obin however, claims that the account was hacked. He accepted responsibility for the embarrassment and apologised to Nigerians. The problem for the ruling party is that the young man appears unwilling to yield and indicated that he will continue administering the account. In an interview with Premium Times an online news portal, he said that “the election is just around the corner, I also plan to use it as we did in 2014 and 2015. I don’t think I could spoil all that because of $2,000,” Now let’s not forget that the APC and many like Mr. Obin have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for over three years. He was prominent among the thousands of youth volunteers who flooded the social media during the 2015 election campaign. The party had little qualms about the information he was dishing out then whether it was verifiable or conjectural. As a matter of fact, some of the information was passed on by the party and government spokespersons. Mr. Obin himself leveraged on the position to propagate his personal business, often sending bulk messages to thousands of Nigerians about his so-called ‘digital entrepreneurship programme’. He is also an aspirant for the chairmanship position of Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State on the party’s platform and garnered a number of supporters among the electorate. It may not be wrong to say that this is a young man who obviously knows that packaging more than substance is just about 90% of what is required to cajole a majority of the Nigerian electorate. I believe that his interactions with Omokri who himself was once embroiled in an impersonation scandal were personal, the informal tone also leaves the impression that they are friends. But of course, the more experienced self-acclaimed pastor in his usual manner capitalised on that to publicly ridicule the APC. The issue reveals the inherent ethical chasm in our social media sphere where any individual smart enough to gather a few thousand followers by rambling daily is branded ‘an influencer’. I will elaborate further. You may wish to take a cursory look at the number of twitter followers on Professor Adesanmi’s handle, then compare the figure with that of the two subjects here and you will begin to get the point I’m trying to make. It is especially galling that in the Nigerian appraisal formula, the informed tweets of an erudite University don who is a sought-after speaker across the world somehow ranks lower than those of Omokri and Obin who represent the opportunistic mercantile politicking that pervades our political landscape. It is also a shame that the ruling party hitherto had no official social media pages. That alone speaks volumes about its media and communications office. Does it mean that they don’t acknowledge the millions of Nigerians who interact and get informed via social media platforms daily? Yet they insult our sensibilities by quoting mind boggling figures for ‘website upgrade’. You now have an insight into the leadership of our political parties. They are predominantly populated by analogue and facetious individuals unwilling or should I say incapable of appreciating the many opportunities offered by this digital era. Of course, I know that a large majority of the electorate are not on social media but one cannot depreciate its impact on public discourse and communication in the society. It is cross-cutting and exponentially beneficial in extracting contributions from intellectuals including those in the diaspora. The APC will do well to sanitise its public relations machinery. Much as the main opposition has also failed in that department I believe that the wise words of former President Goodluck Jonathan should guide the ruling party going forward. You may win an election with propaganda but you definitely cannot govern with it. Like someone aptly stated, “ APC news does not exceed twenty-four hours before you get a rebuttal”. The ruling party owes it as a duty to properly communicate its activities and that of the government to Nigerians. It is hoped that with the announcement of its new website and social media accounts, Nigerians will begin to witness a new era of synergy between its raucous media offices. It is only then that we can effectively interrogate the party’s position on the numerous socio-political issues plaguing the

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