Has Social Media Tampered with our Reasoning Abilities? – By Otolorin Olabode

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Staff Reporter

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It seems social media has come to stay in Nigeria especially among our youths and adults. After the successful penetration of Facebook, subsequent entries of Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn have been greeted with lot of views and reviews.

However as it is with everything in Life, an advantage of a thing likewise has a disadvantage. Social Media has benefited various classes of People in Nigeria. From The Bloggers (Omojuwa, Linda Ikeji, OloriSuperGal) to the upcoming artistes, social media has been a huge benefit to a lot of people.

Nevertheless, it seems Social Media has altered our brain’s configuration settings. An average Nigerian wakes up and the first thing he does is to check Whatsapp messages. Thoughts like “Has He replied” “Has She accepted to go out on a date with me”, are always popular on the minds of the Nigerian Youth.

Another may decide to check on Instagram if his recent post has garnered likes or how many followers He has gained overnight.

Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook all rank high in the list of social Media Apps on an average Nigerian Youth smartphone. Especially on Twitter where all kinds of savages are recorded. An average Nigerian can spend 10hours tweeting, retweeting and replying on mostly trivial and unnecessary issues. Why have we not tried to convert those hours of Joblessness to ones of making money.

Especially our celebrities who most Nigerians troll and condemn on these social medias, these people are making money off those controversies. Remember the time when Linda Ikeji got embroiled in a fight with Wizkid? Truth is she had many visitors, views and comments on her blog due to that controversy.

It’s time for every Nigerian to make judicious use of social Media.

Stop wasting time and energy begging for likes to win a competition on Instagram when you could make far enough money through efficient use of social media.

Many have abused social media to the extent of taking photos in heir friends’ clothes just to post on Instagram or rather taking photos in their lingerie or posing half-naked.

Relationships have been formed on various social media sites but it’s on record that Social media has also destroyed some “once upon a time fruitful relationship”. The thing is news and information spreads much faster on social media.

Accusations of infidelity ranging from the husband seen in company with another woman to the wife captured in an hotel with another man, what about the nude photos and video of ladies released by their ex-boyfriend? Even our parents are on Instagram stalking and monitoring their children!

Definitely, Social media has tampered with our brain’s configuration settings!

Otolorin Olabode is a student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. He is a Creative writer and also a seasoned content writer. He handles Latest9ja, a news and entertainment website. He can be reached via Email: otolorinolabode@gmail.comor through +2348064717949. He can also be followed on Instagram: @ viewsfromthebod .

Social Media: Media houses must evolve or die – Obi Asika

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Staff Reporter

Within the last two decades, social media has become commonplace and intrusive in different aspects of the human life, impacting them significantly such that new sets of trends have emerged.

For the media industry, the ways news is sourced, published and consumed have not only been impacted, but there are emerging traditions fashioned towards behaviours of social media users.

“I think social media has changed everything about media and communication, it’s always on, 24-7, the newsfeed is permanent,” said Obi Asika, co-founder Social Media Week Lagos during a tweet chat with The Guardian on Tuesday.

“Now many blogs have more power and reach than traditional media here in Nigeria and that in itself is almost entirely due to social media,” Asika said. It is either traditional media houses evolve or die, he said.

With Nigeria ranked eighth on the list of countries with the highest number of internet users in the world as at June 2016, and with much of the internet traffic driven by smartphones powered by cheaper data subscription rates, “mobile is the king,” he said. For him, cheaper data rates would lead to the proliferation of short video content.
How do all these impact Nigerians, and of course, African communities? This will be answered at the upcoming Social Media Week Lagos 2017 which holds between February 27 and March 3.

In 2016, Social Media Week Lagos welcomed over 15,000 attendees, more than 200 speakers from within and outside Nigeria, including Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki, and a global online reach of 801 million people.

Ngozi Odita, who co-founded Social Media Week Lagos alongside Asika, said the conference will explore how technology is creating a “new language” and way of communicating and what this means for the future of communication in Africa.

“Conference programming and content will look at how this ‘new language’, through online video, messaging apps, voice interfaces, and the like allows us to share our stories, share our competencies and increase our efficiencies.

“Ultimately, enabling us to take our collective learnings and apply them locally for the betterment of our communities and the continent at large.”

Asika was upbeat that the Federal Government’s new education policy aimed at encouraging the use of local languages to teach science and technology subjects would only aid the growth of technology in the country and enhance the capacity of Nigerians to use technology.

The Alpha Reach: Why Brands Need Social Media Influencers.

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Staff Reporter

You probably know that word-of-mouth is one of the most valuable forms of marketing out there.

Using social media influencers in your marketing is the practice of building relationships with the people who can build relationships for you.

Business Dictionary define influencers as “individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position or relationship.”

Social Media Influencers are the key element of many social media and modern public relations cases.

By aligning with an influencer, you can open your brand and product to a whole new level of fans and customers.

It allows companies of any size to instantly connect with target prospects worldwide, with the mere twitch of a finger.

Per this research “Nearly 40% of Twitter users say they’ve made a purchase as a direct result of a Tweet from an influencer.” 49% of respondents said they relied on influencers who has something to say about a product either positively or negatively. You can see that having influencers to discuss your brand experience is crucial.

According to Twitter sales from 2015 “90% of consumer’s trust peer recommendations. Only 33% trust ads” Out of the 90%, 72% do so base on the word of a social media influencer.

That is a huge power to have behind a brand.

Instead of simply looking at followers, a better equation for brands to consider is the following:

Influence = Audience Reach (# of followers) x Brand Affinity (expertise and credibility) x Strength of Relationship with Followers

Looking at Instagram Influencer, the reach is even far more.

55% of all 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.S. are Instagram users. And with about 500m users and 300m active daily users, that is a lot of potential market.

49% of people say they rely on recommendations from influencers when making purchase decisions. (Twitter and Annalect, 2016)

Why you need influencers?

Help increase your reach.
Know your audience.
They increase your brand visibility.
Earn Trust.
Inform your content.

Connecting to the right influencers can provide you with some great audience insights. Just because someone has many followers, doesn’t mean they’re a great influencer for your brand. So, before you attach an influencer to your brand, you should consider the following:

Relevance: The influencer is sharing content and developing a following relevant to your business and the particular market segment you want to target. Read through that blogger’s archived posts to get a sense for what kind of consumer they are.

Engagement: The potential level of engagement the influencer can create with an audience that’s valuable and relevant to your brand. o those readers respond, comment, and share? What percentage of readers are returning vs. new? Look at comments on their blog or Instagram posts, retweets and likes. It will give you an idea of how popular these posts are, not just how big their follower count is.

Reach: The number of people you could potentially reach the influencer’s follower base that would bring value to your business. Traffic and followers are only meaningful to the extent that the influence is reaching your brand’s target audience.

Create a strategy that identifies the bloggers that lift your brand the most and segment them into an advocate group that you nurture and work with ongoing.

Equip your influencers with high-resolution images and photo op for their content. How can you help them create something pretty for Instagram!?

And remember that influencers are more than just bloggers—they include those with loyal audiences on all social networks.

Care to share your thought? Drop a comment below.

Source: The Alpha Reach

Cyber-Hyenas, Cyber-Vandals, Character Assassins Have Seized Nigeria’s Social Media NAN MD Says

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

The Managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Tayo Onanuga, says Cyber-hyenas, Cyber-vandals, Character assassins have seized Nigeria’s social media. He said this following the backlash he received from a post he shared on his Facebook wall few days ago where he insinuated that the hardship most Nigerians are complaining about might just be mere propaganda. He wrote;

Lynch-mob, cyber-hyenas, cyber-vandals, character assassins: this is the motley crowd that has seized Nigeria’s social media space, either on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. It is a mob and functions like any other mob, pouncing on targets, remorselessly, twisting your words to achieve a preconceived end.

The rampaging crowd in cyberspace is the opposite of what Mark Zuckerberg and co have in mind in creating communication networks to link friends or people with common interests.

Judging by my experience in the last 72 hours, I am no longer surprised why many decent people either closed their accounts on the various platforms or have become inactive.

No sane, decent person can truly condone the vicious band of assassins always on the prowl, looking for preys to desecrate and mutilate, all because the victims’ viewpoint does not tally with their jaundiced position. I am sure that Zuckerberg will be mortified about how Nigerians have fouled his platform and Twitter. They are now nests of uncouth, ill-mannered, hate-filled Nigerians. Fellow Nigerians, we cannot all think one-way.

We cannot all think alike. I have the inalienable right to have a different idea from yours. And that in civilised societies does not call for the unbridled umbrage that my posts have attracted and the unwarranted attacks against my child.

Good morning!.

Former Oyo Governor Denounces Daughter Over Social Media Posts

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Staff Reporter

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The Second Republic governor of old Oyo State, Omololu Olunloyo, has denounced his daughter, Kemi Omololu Olunloyo, for directing verbal attacks at him and other notable individuals.

The former leader also revealed in a heart-breaking statement Thursday that Kemi, 52, had a history of mental illness and several efforts by the family and other well-wishers to moderate her erratic behaviour have been fruitless.

Describing statements credited to his daughter as “utterly irresponsible”, “libellous” and “repeatedly painful”, the octogenarian apologised to everyone who had been attacked by his daughter.

“I would like to apologise without reservation to all persons affected. I hope and pray they would graciously accept the apology,” he wrote.

Mr. Olunloyo, who was a governor under the banner of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), said even her family is not safe from Kemi’s public attacks. He specifically mentioned and apologised for Kemi’s attack on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Enoch Adeboye, the General Oversea of Winners Chapel, David Oyedepo, and the founder of the Synagogue Church of all Nations, Temitope Joshua.

He also denounced her attack on foremost Nollywood actor, Jide Kosoko, who Kemi had called a ritualist after the recent demise of his third wife.

“There seems to be a curious pair of writers, an Aboderin resident in Ireland and Kemi Olunloyo, who sometimes curiously act separately and sometimes in union. Some of their most unfortunate victims are their half siblings.

“Others of higher status in the society (like) ex-president Obasanjo and quite recently, clergy men with large respectable following, such as the General Oversea of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A Adeboye, a brilliant fellow mathematician, an inspired Bishop Oyedepo, the inimitable Reverend T.B Joshua, all learned men.

“She includes me, her father. All four of us she dubs ritualists. Of course, none of us, as far as I know, is anything of sort. She has gone so far as to accuse us of various sexual crimes and gone too far to give social media itself a very dubious name, in term of uncontrolled freedom to assault others,” the frmer governor, a mathematician, said.

Mr. Ololunyo said Kemi’s “erratic” behaviour had put her in trouble in Ireland and in the United States, and the late Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, once bailed her out of jail.

“Of Late, in the last four weeks or so, she had had the audacity to pass irrelevant and hopeless comments on one of our national talented artists, prince Jide Kosoko, whom I admire so much, calling him a black widower as he has unfortunately lost three wives.

“I had thought at 52, Kemi will further train her mind and cease to be an embarrassment to herself and member of her nuclear, extended family and to the general public. I thank pastors and psychiatrists like Dr. Lasebikan, who had gone to great lengths at their own personal cost to restrain her from excesses and recklessness. I dissociate myself entirely form her conducts and statements.

“She must accept responsibility for her actions and utterances as well as the consequences. My condemnation is total and not in any instance defensible. My position is absolutely clear. She has gone too far and needlessly so,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, in an apparent reaction to her father’s statement, Ms. Olunloyo published her own statement to her “fans” on social media saying she will “no longer practice journalism in Nigeria”.

“It seems like many celebrities and their fans are upset when I write a story about them,” she wrote.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Leke Ademo: Nigeria Today; Social Media, Prompt Policing And The Release Of The 3 BMJS Girls

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Staff Reporter

Life is fun, but certain things happen at several times that makes people ask certain questions. The recent kidnapping of 3 students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary (BMJS) by kidnappers came as a shock. It made many Nigerians to think of the aspect of life that makes us think and ask questions. Life is fun when all is rosy, but when certain things that are not fun at all happen, everyone asks questions especially when the situation bothers them directly.

Although, as a Sociologist, I write on social issues by proffering solutions to societal problems (such as my recent write up on ‘the naira, the dollar and the heat in our houses’), the kidnapping of those girls really got to me. By decision, I don’t write or speak about negative things, but the kidnapping got me thinking, and thank God the damsels were found. It really penetrated through to me for obvious reasons. I chose not to write about it while ‘we’ were ‘looking for’ and praying for the release of our girls. When the news filtered in on Sunday afternoon that our BMJS students have been found, I was elated, and still am, that’s why I am writing this article now. First, I thank God that they were released, that’s a proof that our God answers prayers. I also appreciate the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Police force for their call to action and their drive in seeing that these girls were recovered. I appreciate all bloggers, news agencies, tweeters, and facebook users who contributed in making the news go viral. This only shows that social media goes a long way and is a ready tool for societal transformation.

I was so concerned about the development because ‘yours truly’ was a student of BMJS. I’m proud to be an alumnus of that great institution. The foundation of my social, spiritual, mental and physical values were laid at BMJS. This explains why I have chosen to write at such a time as this. I remember with fond memories my first day in BMJS as a JSS 1 student which took me away from my parents and siblings for some time because of the boarding house nature of the school . Gradually, I learnt how to adapt and how to live with my ‘new family’. It was both challenging and fun. The school has grown over the years, so are its products. BMJS’ products are doing well all around the world. Amazingly, the school turns 20 this year, undoubtedly, it has maintained its excellent records.

Away from my BMJS, the proficient use of Social Media has come to stay in our nation. It has proved to be the new media with a difference. With it, news gets to those that need to see or hear it. One can readily tweet at anybody at any time. Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Nairaland, etc have proved that social media really has a great impact on relevant issues in the society. It has shown that if properly utilised, social media can help solve a lot of issues in the society. It is only evident that people need to be more aware of trending issues and respond to it positively.

I am so glad that the Lagos State government and the Nigerian police responded to the call of Nigerians promptly. Because this was done, Nigerians are celebrating the release of the 3 BMJS girls that were kidnapped last week. Kudos once again to the relevant authorities! This is the Nigeria I have always dreamt of – a place of serenity and security, a place where citizens can be sure of safety wherever they find themselves. The release of these girls gives a sense of respect and trust to the Nigerian police force. I also congratulate Nigerians who chose to be their ‘sisters’ keepers’ by broadcasting until the girls where found. I believe this is the beginning of better things for Nigeria.

The Nigeria of my dreams would continue to progress!

God bless the BMJS that raised me, God bless Nigerian Police Force, God bless Lagos State Government, God bless Social Media and others who contributed immensely in the release of the girls, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Relevantly yours,

Leke Ademo

Leke Ademo is a Content Developer and Social Media Strategist by Profession; a Sociologist and Research Consultant by training; and a Corporate Soft Skills trainer. He can be reached through ademoadeleke@gmail.com or +2348077454779.

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

Myanmar Woman Sentenced To 6 Months In Jail For Facebook Post Mocking Army Uniform Color

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Staff Reporter

A Myanmar court has jailed a woman for six months for a Facebook post “ridiculing” the country’s army chief and the colour of a new uniform.

Chaw Sandi Tun, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s election-winning National League for Democracy (NLD) party, was found guilty under a new telecommunications law prohibiting the use of the telecoms network to “extort, threaten, obstruct, defame, disturb, inappropriately influence or intimidate”.

“My daughter was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at Ma U Bin township court this morning under Section 66(d) of the telecoms law. We will appeal as we are not satisfied,” her mother Ei San told the AFP news agency.

Chaw Sandi Tun’s post compared the light green new uniform for army officers with that of a “longyi”, a traditional Myanmar skirt worn by opposition icon Suu Kyi.
“If you love mother that much, why don’t you wrap mother’s longyi on your head?” the post said.

The maximum penalty she faced was three years in jail. Her lawyer confirmed the sentence but said his client denied making the post.

“She said her Facebook account had been hacked several times and that she didn’t post that post,” Robert San Aung told reporters.

Chaw Sandi Tun was arrested in October. The same month, Patrick Kum Jaa Lee, an NGO worker, was also arrested for a Facebook post that mocked the army.

Myanmar has been ruled by a quasi-civilian government since 2011 following five decades of military rule and has been widely praised for ushering in a series of economic and political reforms.

But in recent months critics have accused the military and government of returning to junta-era tactics, with arrests over social media posts.

A violent police crackdown on a student protest earlier this year left scores wounded.

NANS Condemns Senate Threat On Social Media

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Read the press statement below…

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, condemn in totality the unusual rapid readings and debate in which the bill to jail social media users got from the Nigerian senate of the 8th National Assembly within a week, where we have pending volatile issues turning the nation down that needs their urgent attentions as stakeholder.

With the decision of the senate to have allow for reading and referring to committee of ethics and privilege, a bill which infringe on the right and freedom of information of Nigerian masses, it has exposed the underbelly of the Nigerian senate to an unpardonable ridicule that they are not representing their people but themselves, because how would our senators who reside mostly in FCT source for information and gather opinions to provide solution on national issues from all nooks and crannies of the country if not through social media facts and fallacy.

It is also noteworthy to state that NANS considers the Nigeria senate threat on social media users as a fraudulent attempt to subvert Nigeria’s democracy and freedom of expressions in any form. They wish to deny the masses of access to information which is a prerequisite for transparency and accountability of governments, security awareness and as safeguarding citizens against mismanagement, crimes and corruption.

Social media, a fastest means of interaction, remains the last hope of the less privilege in communicating their ideas, needs and grievances to most of our leaders that are not accessible. Also, Nigerian students concern as the bedrock of this nation’s development and highest rated user of social media, emanated from the fact that most of our distinguished senators cannot rid their camps of social media propaganda as it’s the source of their political popularity, yet they feel so eager to suggest two (2) years jail term or N4m fine for social media users who passes information which they as law makers may term as false.

The nation is battling with security challenges and many more, where lays the hope and aspiration of the masses when our Senators are yet to pass a bill stipulating increase in years of jail term of corrupt people who siphoned the nations fund with a corresponding increase in the amount of money embezzled.

We know that the law is like cobweb, too strong to catch the weak but too weak to catch the strong, therefore NANS uses this medium to appeal to all distinguish senators of Federal Republic of Nigeria to please place our collective national interest above their self-interest in making decisions to govern this country. It is on this note, that we are emphatically stating that any attempt by the Senate to pass the bill on jailing social media users, then they should be prepared to face the wrath of the Nigerian students through maximum protest to the National Assembly.

Signed: Comrade Ogunkuade Oluwatosin
NANS Vice President External
FOR: National Association of Nigerian Students’

Police Urge Lagos Residents Not To Report Crime First On Social Media

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Lagos State Police Command on Monday urged residents of the state not to report traffic robbery and other crimes first on social media but to the nearest police station.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Joseph Offor, who made the appeal on Monday, said the reports would help the police in strategising on how to combat crimes and forestall occurrence.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, had lamented that Nigerians were fund of reporting crimes first on the social media.

He noted that reporting first to the nearest police station would help the police to prevent further occurrence.

He also spoke about how some distress calls were actually blown out of proportion and advised the residents to always verify their information before causing panic.

The PPRO added that making false reports of crime incidents on social media was a cheap blackmail against the leadership of the Nigeria Police.

“People should endeavour to report every road traffic robbery to the police station so that we will know who to hold responsible.

“This will help us to strategise and come against those people behind the crimes.

“We are not denying the fact that we have a couple of traffic robberies here and there but we have arrested some of the suspects.

“We have also prevented some of them that were about to be committed.

“When somebody is a victim of a crime, he knows where to go,’’ Offor said.

“If you go to a police station to report, it will help us to have the statistics of crime being committed in that area; it will also help us in our planning.

“It will help us in our research but when people decide to report their cases to the social media, we see it as a cheap blackmail against the leadership of the Nigeria Police.

“And this is worrisome because it is not helping our statistics.’’

According to Offor, people making crime reports on the social media are not helping the system as planning and strategising cannot be based solely on statistics got from such reports.

(NAN)

419 Girls Scam ISIS on Social Media For Travel Money

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Staff Reporter

If you’re low on funds for that big vacation, you could always ask to borrow money, make a Kickstarter campaign… or swindle a couple of Islamic State recruiters. It may not be the safest way to make money, but that’s what three girls from Chechnya, a Russian republic in southeastern Europe, did.

The Chechen girls are under investigation for fraud after they allegedly scammed ISIS members into giving them money on the pretense that they would use it to travel from their homeland to Syria. The ladies got away with $3,300 before being discovered, according to RT News.

The ISIS members allegedly reached out to the girls’ social media accounts, asking the girls to join the militant cause. The young women kept in contact with the ISIS members and even sent fake pictures to string them along.

After the ISIS members wired the money, the girls closed down their accounts, stopped all communication, and kept the windfall. The con artists had no intention of actually leaving the country, though one admitted that she used to consider joining.

“I don’t recall any precedent like this one in Chechnya, probably because nobody digs deep enough in that direction,” police officer Valery Zolotaryov told a local Chechen newspaper. “Anyhow, I don’t advise anyone to communicate with dangerous criminals, especially for grabbing quick money,” he added. Wise advise.

The girls’ (totally illegal) stunt isn’t the first of its kind. RT News reported that sometimes men create fake accounts, pretending to be females, with the same ISIS-swindling intentions.

The Islamic State often targets Muslim communities, like Chechnya, in Europe and the United States to recruit people who are willing to inflict acts of terrorism on their own soil. Members have been said to use social media to get a wide reach of followers and find those who will agree to commit violence. Often women are the ones cheated during these arrangements, as they are married off to fighters and often become victims of sexual abuse.

Credit: YahooNews

Kourtney Kardashian Steps Out After Split, Scott Disick Breaks Silence On Social Media

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Kourtney spent the morning working up a sweat with her sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian. In the evening the trio hit the town looking absolutely angelic in radiate white dresses. It was Kourtney’s first appearance in public since news of the split broke on Monday, and she looked like she was ready to have a fun night.

The sisters, who were filming an upcoming episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians while going out for a girls’ night at Casa Escobar in Westlake, California, shared a cute selfie on Instagram.

With their tongues out, it’s hard to imagine the girls weren’t sending a message to Kourtney’s ex.

Meanwhile, Scott didn’t seem too upset about the split. The 32-year-old broke his social media silence with an Instagram post on Tuesday encouraging his followers to “party with me this Friday in Vegas.”

Read More: ETonline

The Next New Media Aide By Rinsola Abiola

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Staff Reporter

“New Media” is defined as the means of communication which requires the use of digital technology, and is often used to refer to the internet and all online communication platforms. New media includes – but is not limited to – various social media platforms such as Facebook and twitter, video platforms such as YouTube and even search engines like Google and Bing, and of course, the blogs which we have all come to rely on as the first source of (oft-inaccurate) breaking news. From the afore-mentioned, it is evident that while “Social Media” refers to internet-based platforms for social interaction, “New Media” consists of social media and a lot more.
The last administration presented Nigerians with a lot of New Media awkwardness; from ridiculous claims that “Goodluck Jonathan brought Facebook to Nigeria” to Reno Omokri’s falsification of evidence against then Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, it is a rather unfortunate fact that the practice of being a New Media Aide has been tainted in quite a bit of infamy.
However, in line with the APC’s slogan of “Change”, the online community may hope for a professional new media aide who will have a high regard for ethics. The aim of this article is to explain what exactly a new media aide ought to do and be, in order to give Nigerians an insight into why the position needs to be filled, and of course, to prove (beyond reasonable doubt) that the last administration made a mockery of it all (pun not intended).
Why the President Needs a New Media Aide
Media is broadly classified into two main categories (at least, for the purpose of this article). These are Mainstream Media [which is further split into electronic media (TV and radio) and print media (newspapers and magazines)] and New Media (previously explained above).
The President kicked off assembling a good media team by appointing Mallam Garba Shehu, who did a brilliant job as director of media and communication during the presidential campaign, and Mr. Femi Adesina, whose commitment to the Buhari Cause has been absolute. These two men are seasoned media practitioners, having garnered extensive experience and built a formidable profile in print media (Both have, at different times, served as Chairman of the Nigerian Guild of Editors).
Some argue that both men are present on social media and could, therefore, also execute the duties of the new media aide. While this is in line with the need to reduce the cost of governance by pruning the number of appointees, it does not put the enormity of the task that adequate media representation is, into consideration. It would be difficult – and that is putting it mildly – for one of these men to take on the portfolio of the new media aide and the reasons are as follows;
With a third of Nigeria’s population being active on the internet and various social media platforms, the new media aide would need to be fully dedicated to engaging the people, disseminating information and managing the image of the President and the Federal Government online. This is a task one simply cannot blend with other demands from the mainstream media (i.e. print and electronic).
The New Media aide would have to be a young person or one who is extremely skilled at communicating effectively with this demography (this is not as much a discriminatory measure, as it is about having a representative who can “flow” with the online community, which is made up mainly of young people). Having a duly appointed new media aide would also go a long way in letting young people know that they are valued enough to have someone dedicated to communicating with them via social media channels that they feel most comfortable with.
Whoever fills this position would have to be proficient with new media, not just know how to tweet or post a message on a Facebook wall, but also have knowledge of social media analytics, measure the impact of campaigns when necessary, know how to create and administer surveys, know about content generation, how to use Google+, YouTube, GoogleAds, relate with bloggers, coordinate campaigns……the point of all this is to show that new media is an entirely different ball game from mainstream media, and someone who knows the rudiments is required.
Also, Media Relations is a broad sphere of activity and the requirements are vast. An excellent media team is one which is made up of the best hands – experts in their various fields.
Expectations
As stated earlier, the past administration did quite a lot to taint the office of the new media aide with infamy. Thankfully, this is a dispensation of Change, and for the benefit of those who have been misled into thinking that a new media aide is the government’s e-henchman who is to block people en-masse, have minions threaten them for having dissenting views and fabricate evidence against whistle-blowers, the true “job description” of the new media aide is briefly explained below;
The primary responsibility of the new media aide is to implement the online phase of the media plan (the media plan is the blueprint which the media unit works with, and its aim could be anything from “build confidence in the government” to God forbid, like the old administration, “further piss already-pissed-off Nigerians off”). What this implies is that with every tweet, Facebook post, YouTube link and Re-tweet, the new media aide must keep the President’s image and how every action would reflect upon it at the back of his or her mind.
The new media aide must take advantage of the interactive nature of social media, and not only disseminate information, but respectfully interact with the people (without which that government would not exist), gauge responses to government initiatives and formulate comprehensive reports in the process. The latter part of this is essential because communication is not quite complete until that exchange of information and feedback has taken place. The new media aide is the government’s eyes and ears, the link between the government and the streets, and it is imperative that this person communicate effectively with and for both the government and the people.
The new media aide should be professional; cool enough to handle the barrage of insults that will most definitely come without using phrases like “nattering nabob of negativity” on Nigerians who are totally within their rights to lose their cool.
The new media aide must be direct and straight to the point; honest enough to gain credibility, while being tactful enough to use reassuring words. It is the duty of the new media aide to make every Nigerian with a contribution feel valued, to douse tensions and turn even the most cynical to believers.
The new media aide must be able to communicate the government’s initiatives to the people via concise and meaningful articles, and break these down into even more concise tweets, infographics and Facebook posts, as required.
It is the duty of the new media aide to keep the people informed, to keep them up to date about every step taken regarding the issues which concern them.
The last dispensation was the era of nasty media aides who falsified evidence, trended offensive hashtags and told barefaced lies against other citizens on television. This dispensation will do better.

Rinsola Abiola, a PR consultant, served as PRO of the All Progressive Youth Forum (APYF) from 2013-2014, and is currently the PRO/Secretary of the APC Young Women Forum (APC-YWF).

Views expressed are solely that of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

PDP Shuts Down Social Media Platforms

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Staff Reporter

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has shut down its social media platforms, saying some of them have been hijacked. ? The PDP, through its verified Twitter handle @PdpNigeria, had said on Sunday that it was taking responsibility for the country’s low points during the party’s 16-year reign. But Olisa Metuh, PDP spokesman on Monday said the statement did not represent the position of the party, adding that its Twitter account was hacked. “The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) observed that in the course of the 2015 campaigns, personal positions and opinions of our party members were generally reported in many instances by the media as official positions of the PDP,” he said. “We have also noted that some of our new media handles, our Facebook and Twitter accounts, have been hacked, resulting in series of unauthorized releases, with the latest being Sunday’s post quoting our party as accepting responsibility for failure in the last 16 years; a statement which could not have come from the PDP that has a robust record of achievements in all sectors of our national life within the period. “However, now that the campaigns are over, we wish to notify the general public, especially the media, that henceforth only statements, utterances and positions of the national chairman and the national publicity secretary or any other national officer of the party authorized by the national working committee shall be regarded and reported as the official position of our great party in line with the relevant provisions of the PDP constitution. “For purposes of clarity, this directive does not in anyway affect the inalienable constitutionally guaranteed rights of our members as free citizens to hold and air opinions but such personal opinion must not in anyway be rendered or reported as the official position of the PDP. “Consequently, media houses, particularly the electronic media and the civil society, should note that only authorized persons should be invited to speak or stand in for the PDP for interviews, debates, talk shows or any other media appearance whatsoever. “Furthermore, to halt the embarrassing trend in our social media handles, the party has decided to decommission our official Twitter and Facebook accounts for now, to pave way for proper overhauling of the system. “The foregoing is pursuant to our determination to rebuild and re-position our great party, instill discipline in our fold, check unnecessary divergences and put the PDP on a strong footing to regain power in 2019.” PDP added that in the new spirit of rebuilding and re-positioning, the national leadership charges all aggrieved members to channel their grievances through the appropriate organs of the PDP for redress using the internal conflict resolution mechanisms that abound in our party. “Finally, we urge the media to always crosscheck with the relevant officials of our party on official matters before going to press,” it added.

Credit – www.thecable.ng

Social Media And The Polarization Of The Affluent – Abhay Desai

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Staff Reporter

“The result of our labour”, the scoundrels said. “We have worked night and day but, at last, the most beautiful fabric in the world is ready for you. Look at the colors and feel how fine it is.”

Of course the Emperor did not see any colors and could not feel any cloth between his fingers. He panicked and felt like fainting. But luckily the throne was right behind him and he sat down. But when he realized that no one could know that he did not see the fabric, he felt better. Nobody could find out he was stupid and incompetent. And the Emperor didn’t know that everybody else around him thought and did the very same thing.”

Quote: The Emperor’s new clothes.

Social media has crept into the lives of individuals like never before and ironically still is at a rapid pace. The influence is widening in the urban population. It’s fast becoming a connection to family, friends and sometimes complete strangers across the world. It has taken a new dimension of sharing beautiful personal moments, pictures, successes and sometimes even participating in groups and causes that are geographically and socially disconnected from the individual.

Facebook, google+,Twitter, Instagram, skype, whatsApp, whatever the preferred social media platform maybe, have gained unlimited access in the private life of individuals. From offices, bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and even disasters, the mobile revolution tags one into every development that takes place in the lives of groups or friends.

Personally I am on social media probably 24×7 because as an expat I use social media to connect with my family and friends which keeps me connected to my roots. For this simple reason, his is something I can never do without.

So one day the ‘can never do without…’ got me thinking and looking deeper into the impact social media was having on me as a human being. Obviously, it is believed that this new trend in technology would make me a better informed individual, that as my horizons broadened I should benefit from the amazing wealth of information available on these platforms right? But is that the case?

The first incident that really got me thinking was the popularity of the ‘Ice bucket syndrome’, support the ALS cause, dunk yourself with a bucket of ice cold water, make a donation to ALS cure and promote it on social media so more friends would participate and the world will know you are a good human being. Sounds very noble and it is, but sadly I don’t completely agree. So like many of us, when I was nominated by many for this challenge, peer pressure was enough to ensure I participated. But I declined; this led to a number of friends across the globe questioning my belief in charity. They were surprised that normally a balanced ‘do gooder’ like me would decline, but what they failed to understand was that the very reason I declined was because I am a balanced person.

I come, from a place popularly referred to as a ‘third world developing economy’, one of the biggest problem faced by these economies is the lack of basic facilities. So while the Americans and the world citizens were dunking themselves in ice cold water there were children in multiple countries dying for a clean glass of water to drink let alone a glass of iced water. While ALS does kill a few people, hunger was killing at least ten times that number on a daily basis. so why didn’t my friends understand? Wait a minute; ironically, they also came from the same backgrounds, and the same ‘third world’ country that I belong to! So why were they, dunking themselves in ice cold water and making donations to a research cause in the US when every time they drove in their cars they had hungry children knocking on their windows? Questions! Questions!! And more questions!!!

The second incident that really got me asking the same questions was the unfortunate Charlie Hebdo incident in France. Religious fanatics storming a building in Paris and shooting 17 unarmed journalists, it was really sad.

The world joined in condemning the incident; it was heartwarming to see the support of the international community and my friends on social media. I too joined in the protest on that day, and the next day I received a link which was designed to help people sign a petition to the incident. I ignored the link, only to have my friends one by one push this link to me again and again. I again promptly ignored all of them, and a few friends noticed my inaction and enquired why I was so heartless?

Really, heartless? No, I am not heartless, I feel for the 17 journalists and their families but I also feel for the thousands who were massacred in Baga by Boko Haram, and the few thousands who are being massacred spontaneously by the Taliban and the ISIS on a daily basis. My fellow countrymen in Kashmir can I please sign those petitions first? And even if I do sign them, who is really paying attention? After all these incidents are not happening in Paris, or are they?

Those few hundred refugees are stuck on some desolate island in the middle of Lake Chad hungry, suffering far away from the eyes of the world. I can go on and on after all I am from the so called ‘developing third world economies’

Third world economies are better understood by third world citizens. Interesting and unique problems we all face, but hey wait a minute! All my friends on social media also come from the same (third world countries) and we face similar problems and challenges. They have seen civil wars, religious riots, terrorist activities and they also know that while the massacre in Paris was deplorable it is not a shade of what is happening everyday in our countries. Yet I don’t see a mention of these issues on their social media pages?

Circumstances out of the ordinary makes one think and research, such is human nature. I know my friends are educated, they are gentle souls with a lot of empathy towards suffering but why are they disconnected to ground realities? Was social media polarizing the affluent?

A quick check of my 700+ acquaintances on Facebook resulted in the following findings:

100% of them were head and shoulders rather miles ahead of the ‘per capita income’ defined for the country.

100% of them were totally fitting the term ‘educated social elites’.

85% of them seamlessly fit into what is defined as Socio Economic Class A+.

25% to 35% were expats living in affluent conditions across the globe. The friends of friends also fit into this categorization.

A lot of them do not read the daily papers, and depended heavily on the Internet and social media to keep them updated on daily happenings around the world.

This almost seemed like an exclusive club created with participants from the affluent class, with priorities and beliefs that loosely fit. Now things were getting clearer.

Over the passage of time, my social media platforms were addressing areas that fit into the thought process of this exclusive club, so one a chipped nail was getting more “OMG baby take care, might be painful if it gets caught in something rather than, the town of Baga being completely destroyed coupled with the news of a delivering mother being shot with the baby half out!”

Seems like we have pulled ourselves into a protective cocoon, where we are being influenced into actually believing our American expat friends that ALS state was the worst thing around. So we forgot about the child that doesn’t get water to drink just down the road and all that was needed to fit in was an ice cold bucket of water selfie and a US $100 donation.

The more involved we get into social media the more we tend to identify to such ‘exclusive clubs’ it is not by design but by accident, and we slip further away from the ground realities around us. In my opinion this is an imminent danger of us isolating ourselves to an extent that we stop feeling the pain, suffering and challenges of the people around us. The world gives us adequate opportunity to participate in philanthropy, but the question we need to ask is how relevant that philanthropy is? After all we are divided by geography, and all countries are not equal on the economic scale.

What is also important is the need of every individual to be grounded to the realities of life, if we lose out on the opportunity and ability of staying grounded and focused then I am afraid we may be heading for a society that has no reason to exist. Polarization is evident; question is what we do to ensure that it is not permanent.

“Everyone said, loud enough for the others to hear: “Look at the Emperor’s new clothes. They’re beautiful!”

“What a marvellous train!”

“And the colors! The colors of that beautiful fabric! I have never seen anything like it in my life!” They all tried to conceal their disappointment at not being able to see the clothes, and since nobody was willing to admit his own stupidity and incompetence, they all behaved as the two scoundrels had predicted.

However, a child, who had no important job and could only see things as his eyes showed him, went up to the carriage. “The Emperor is naked” he said.

I am glad that child still lives inside of me.

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

False Campaign Issues For And Against Buhari On Social Media

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Social media -dominated by the due of facebook and twitter has indeed change the nature of politics and politicians everywhere in the world. The social media also proven to be effective avenue to reach out to target audience mostly youths and intellectuals directly and almost instantly with ease as politicians have taken advantage of that to improve their presence and market themselves.

But this ofcourse, as expected, comes with a lot of disadvantages ranging from numerous rumours, propaganda to false accusations. This is even more possible since with as low as N100 -for instance, one can afford to login to any of Facebook or twitter, claim to be a journalist, security or political analyst and post or tweet whatever he/she likes.
Below, I intends to list and possibly explain as briefly as possible some of the false campaign issues for and against General Muhammadu Buhari -on of the leading presidential candidate of the APC in the forth coming general elections in Nigeria.

Let me start with the false campaign issues against the General:

(1) That he asked muslims to vote for only fellow muslims. Now, this is a blatant lie, Buhari never said that. What he said -back in 2001 in Hausa language in Sokoto at a luncheon was people in Sokoto know themselves, so when the ban on politics is lifted, they should choose the people that will represent them responsibly. The reporter of the ThisDay newspaper that wrote the report is a yoruba man by tribe that does not understand Hausa and was not even at the event. The reporter who is now late (may his soul rest in peace) had since apologised to Buhari on the issue.

(2) That he vowed to make Nigeria ungovernable. This is also a lie. Buhari never said that and it was indeed Lawal Kaita -a PDP chieftain also from Katsina who said that if a Northerner did not win the 2011 presidential elections, Nigeria will be made ungovernable. The Guardian newspaper that broke the news attributing it to Buhari was taken to court by him and the presidency begged him to settled the case outside court. The newspaper later wrote a piece apologising.

(3) That he is responsible for the 2011 post election violence. This is also not true as none of those making these dubious allegations up till now came up with any evidence to support their allegations. Rather, the presidential committee constituted by the federal government that was headed by the respected statesman and scholar Ahmad Lemu cleared Buhari on the issue in the report which he submitted since.

Now let’s see some of the false campaign issues for the General:

(1) That his daughter is married to an Igbo man. This is a lie. Those who created and also circulating this lie are ofcause trying to show the world that Buhari is tolerant as oppose to what some people are thinking that he a bigot. But Buhari being him a very honest man has since debunked that himself. He said none of his children married or is marrying an Igbo man. I mean, must he married his daughter to an Igbo man or anyone from different tribe that he will be seen as tolerant?

(2) That Buhari does not collect his full pension. This is also not true. The total pension package for the Former Head of States is actually less than N12m per annum not the rumoured N27m and that Buhari never rejected any percentage of it. For God sake, it is his right, his pension just like anyother retired civil servant in the country. What is wrong with he receiving all that is lawfully his? Atleast he did not steal it.
Now, I’m appealing to everybody especially those on the social media -whether the fan of Buhari or not to please campaign base on confirmed true information.

To those trying to paint Buhari black no matter how, please stop creating unnecessary lies just to prove a point. Use facts only and if at all he is bad, you will find some. Also, to those trying so hard to make him look like an angel, please do that only with facts also, for using false information might backfires and be counter productive. Let’s play politics with some decorum and definitely we can’t do that with lies.

@mustysaddiq

Views Expressed Are Solely Author’s….