Blame Sahara Reporters, Ogundamisi, Omojuwa And Yourself For Clampdown On Social Media

Editor’s note: Adelaja Adeoye, a Lagos-based blogger and a commentator on social and political issues, talks about one of the bills proposed by the Nigerian Senate, An Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Related Matters. Who exactly is the bill targeting, and what has prompted the Senate to start considering the law that would prohibit distributing certain kinds of comments and information? Will the bill actually limit our freedom of speech?

One would naturally wonder why the writer choose to go with this kind of heading at a time when there are many disgruntled Nigerians youths trending a hashtag #NoToSocialMediaBill which the legislative arm of Nigerian government is looking at passing and make it a law to criminalize any frivolity and libel on the social media.

Let us critically look at the root cause that necessitated the Senate to take the option of sanitizing the Nigerian social media.

Nigeria is a country that practices democracy since the handing over of power from the military to civilian government in 1999 when the ex-head of state, General Abdusalam Abubakar, passed power to another military man, General Obasanjo, in civilian Agbada.

From my knowledge, there can’t be a smoke without fire no matter how little the fire may be. Let us look at the past events. After the death of ex-president Yar’Adua, his vice Goodluck Jonathan became president of Nigeria in 2011 after another election was conducted, and since that time, social media has been so popular in use by Nigerian people, most especially the youths.

President Jonathan became a victim of circumstance in the hands of the opposition, especially the then-Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that has now merged with other parties to form the All Progressive Congress (APC) just because they wanted to dethrone him from power. The APC is a party that knows how to explore media, including TV, radio, print and social media to advance their campaign, messages, propaganda and other information they want to sell to millions of Nigerians.

The APC quickly identified some Nigerian blogs such as Sahara Reporters, Premium Times, Omojuwa’s blog and those of some other individuals who pride themselves as social media influencers, such as Kayode Ogundamisi, Tolu Ogunlesi, and host of others to do the hatchet jobs for them.

The social media wahala started when the former President Jonathan made a move to remove fuel subsidy in 2011-2012. The opposition mobilized youths, CSO and Labour Congress against the then-administration by inciting Nigerians against them, saying PDP/Jonathan’s government wanted to suffer Nigerians. They even went to sponsor and organise protests, rallies and carnivals in Ojota, Lagos, to lock the country down as they were able to get the NLC to declare a total strike actions that paralyzed the nation’s economy until Jonathan stopped his plan to remove fuel subsidy.

After the president was able to contain the protest and violence, as if that was not enough, just to paint PDP/Jonathan’s government a bad and corrupt government, the now-APC mobilized their media machinery to continue blackmailing. They used print media, radio and TV stations in Lagos and other part of the country to advance their cause.

Shortly, new media were introduced to join the plot. Sahara Reporters, other names such as the ones mentioned above, began to tweet, retweet, post on Facebook and other social media platforms anything anti-Jonathan to mislead gullible Nigerianson a daily basis. The then-opposition members, even some notable personalities such as Dele Momodu, joined them in doing this.

The Nigerian segment of the Internet was not in any way gagged by Jonathan’s administration. Jonathan was called all sorts of names by the people who are not even qualifies to clean his shoes, not to talk of standing face to face to talk to him.

Omojuwa and his ilk called Jonathan a pig, and the APC fans were very excited to retweet his bile. Ogundamisi would twist facts to suit his own purposes and had tried on many occasions to use social media to cause violence between the Igbos and Hausas.

Sahara Reporters are habitual liars who specialize in breaking fake news, libel and blackmail against politicians in Nigeria, those who are in opposition to their sponsors or promoters. Nigerian people are known too quick to react on impulse to fake news.

One must be very careful at this point on how to support or go against the plans of the federal government through the Senate to sanitize how its citizens use the social media in Nigeria. It is a known fact to all and sundry that the APC used these cyber characters to peddle lies, propaganda, and misinform the Nigerian populace prior to the 2015 general elections, and the plan worked perfectly. The APC were able to use them to gain cheap popularity and push all kind of narratives on the social media.

Now, the same APC are afraid that if these guys are not quickly checked, they may turn out to be uncontrollable monsters in their neck, just like those who were supporting Boko Haram morally to gain power. We all know the effect now.

Let us also look back at how the now-governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, was brandishing all kinds of allegations and lies on social media against Jonathan, his ministers and friends. He made sure he filled the heart of Nigerians with hatred. He posted many fictitious and outrageous figures on government’s expenditure that had naturally prompt anger amongst Nigerians. He posted several times that Jonathan was the promoter and brain behind the deadly Boko haram on the local and international media.

Owing to the events of the past, many Nigerians are still not learning. Senator Ben Bruce would stay on social media for almost 24 hours preaching common sense but many people, instead of taking the message, turn to attack both the message and the messenger.

This is why you must blame yourself for the social media clampdown. You have refused to use your common sense in calming down before you react to nonsense. You freely join in amplifying lies and propaganda.

This Change Government is wise and does not want to go down the way social media contributed to the downfall of Jonathan’s administration. The APC are principal actors in the whole thing that happened to Jonathan, and they know the kind of people they used. They are aware that they must keep them in check now or have themselves to be blamed as soon as possible.

If Nigerians can believe the Sahara Reporter who forged Senator Bukola Saraki’s British passport just to blackmail him during his travail at the CCT, then don’t be surprised that Nigerians can believe anything.

Nigerian journalism has been dead since the advent of social media. Media houses now rely solely on all the junks posted on social media to form their breaking news, and this is worrisome.

After Jonathan’s electoral defeat to the APC, the people the APC used came up with another narrative: “We used the social media to finish him.” Now that the APC are in power, do you think they will allow same social media to bring them down? The answer is certainly a no.

Many outrageous allegations had circulated on social media. We remember how Senator Stella Odua was accused, blackmailed and mobbed on social media for stealing monies in the bulletproof cars saga. The same set of people were on social media not long ago to defend former governor of Lagos, Fashola, when he was accused of stealing and awarding outrageous contract just to collect kickback.

The social media in Nigeria is polluted and needs urgent sanitation.

Sahara Reporters are just trying to incite Nigerians against the Senate. People must be careful not to allow themselves to be used by Sahara Reporters to remain in business of blackmail and propaganda.

The Senate only proposes a bill that will jail anyone caught in the act of frivolities, libel and misinformation on the social media, since the trade in stock of Sahara Reporters, Omojuwa, Ogundamisi and their ilk are lies, propaganda and misinformation. This is why they are now mobilizing people to help them trend the hashtag #NoToSocialMediaBill.

If you are not guilty of any wrongdoing on social media,the government will not jail you, and that will put a stop to all the nonsense that happens on social media. No law or bill, no one can ever stop citizens from demanding good governance from the elected government at all levels. I want people to critically read the proposed bill before reacting or joining any fruitless meetings, protests or rallies.

The worst of it all is the daily brainwash and lies the APC and their agents peddle on social media. “The PDP ruined Nigeria for 16 years”. Can’t you think and ask them questions? The “16 years” reference Atiku, Amaechi, Sylva, el-Rufai, Obasanjo, Tambuwal, Oby Ezeks and over 75% constituents of the APC who were principal actors in the PDP point to on a daily basis is to spite Jonathan and the opposition PDP.

What majority of Nigerian youths need is common sense, something that is really not common in Nigeria. I want to remind you of the hashtag #30PercentOrNothing that was in vogue pre-elections, where youths were demanding inclusion and participation in government. Where and how does it end? The same way the former minister of education, Madam Oby Ezeks under the Obasanjo’s PDP administration took the #BringBackOurGirls campaign upon herself, and nothing or no noise after Jonathan lost and Buhari emerged.

Too many funny things happened in Nigeria and many times you are used by these people to achieve their aims and desires and later dump you. Enough is for the wise!

Author, Adelaja Adeoye

Adelaja Adeoye is a Lagos-based blogger and a commentator on social and political issues. He tweets via @AdelajaAdeoye.

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