By SAMSON EZEA
As a graduate of Mass Communication and a journalism practitioner for years now, I am totally baffled and at a loss over how Nigerians have abused social media platforms, using them to spread falsehood and fan the embers of war, discord, disunity, and crises.
In doing this, they throw caution, ethics, decorum, professionalism, and facts to the wind, forgetting the fundamental principle of news gathering and reporting: that the authenticity or genuineness of the source(s) of information is more important than the information itself.
For this reason, every news item must not only be attributed to a source or sources, but such attribution must also be verifiable, factual, and authentic. This was the standard, approved, and globally accepted practice before the advent of social media platforms.
Social media is, no doubt, a remarkable technological advancement, considering its efficiency and speed in disseminating information.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria, it has become a platform for spreading falsehood, maligning individuals, and throwing tantrums at people, often without consequences, despite the existence of cybercrime laws.
Today, almost everybody in Nigeria claims to be a journalist, writer, political analyst, or social media influencer. It has become a situation where professionalism is eroded. Quackery now takes precedence over excellence. It appears that all it takes to become a “journalist” or “expert” is to purchase a smartphone, subscribe to data, open social media accounts, sometimes under pseudonyms, and begin fabricating stories while pouring invectives on others, without any form of accountability.
In such an environment, freedom of speech is misconstrued as absolute. Yet, it is well established in law and journalism that there is no absolute freedom of speech anywhere in the world, not even in the developed societies from which Nigeria borrowed its democratic and media practices.
This narrative aptly reflects the recent falsehoods about Enugu State trending on social media platforms. These are clearly orchestrated campaigns, wiles, and gimmicks by sponsored actors and their data boys to undermine the tangible achievements of Governor Mbah’s administration in repositioning the state for investment, peace, security, and economic growth.
Just like during the 2023 elections, ahead of 2027, Gov. Mbah has again been subjected to coordinated social media attacks and a campaign of calumny, ranging from defamation and misinformation to slander and mudslinging, by political opponents and their online surrogates.
Their modus operandi remains largely unchanged, even though the faces may differ slightly.
It is on record that Gov. Mbah was one of the most vilified governorship candidates in 2023, yet he emerged victorious at the poll.
It is therefore surprising that his social media traducers have not learned from that experience. Instead, they have once again embarked on the same failed tactics, delusionally believing that a different outcome will emerge, despite Gov. Mbah’s administration’s commendable performance and giant strides across virtually all sectors of the state economy.
Sincerely speaking, if there is any criticism to be made, it is that Governor Mbah’s administration is in a hurry to deliver democratic dividends across all sectors simultaneously, thus transforming the state into a construction hub and investment destination.
This is despite the enormous backlog of age-long infrastructural deficits across the state, challenges that no government, even with sufficient funds, could completely address in sixteen years, let alone eight. Yet, within less than four years, remarkable progress and substantial achievements have been made by Governor Mbah’s administration.
However, sponsored social media actors and their sponsors feign ignorance of these facts. Instead, they amplify isolated cases, minor infrastructural gaps, natural challenges, and unverified claims in a desperate and political bid to discredit the administration’s numerous verifiable achievements.
For instance, the issue surrounding the Uwani Healthcare Centre, allegedly highlighted by some Industrial Training students of a private nursing school, has been unnecessarily exaggerated. Even if such claims were true, they represent isolated cases and cannot justify dismissing the administration’s significant strides in the health sector, including the near completion of a 300-bed international hospital, the completion and equipping of SUMAS Teaching Hospital, Igbo Eno, the commissioning of Ogbaku General Hospital in Awgu, and the construction of Type-2 hospitals across nearly all wards in the state.
Similarly, what is so extraordinary about the leakage of one newly roofed smart school out of about 260, some completed, others under construction? Why should such an isolated incident overshadow a massive educational transformation?
What is also the hullabaloo about the Governor exercising his discretion and applying his legal power to grant tax waivers to petty traders? What is illegal about it? Why are some hired social media hirelings and their godfathers making a mountain out of a molehill on social media platforms? It is worth recalling that the immediate past administration also granted tax waivers to traders, hotel owners, and others in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, and nothing adverse happened.
Ironically, none of these social media purveyors of falsehoods have ever acknowledged or promoted Governor Mbah’s administration’s achievements. To them, success is routine, but any minor lapse is amplified as failure.
This is not constructive criticism, but bias. Constructive criticism involves factual engagement, the offering of better alternatives, and practical solutions, not the peddling of falsehoods, insults, and baseless attacks.
If the opposition’s only strategy to win elections remains social media propaganda, then it is clearly weak. Elections are not won on social media, but through performance, strategy, and results.
Voters have become more discerning and no longer rely on online noise or false narratives to form opinions.
Notably, improved security in areas such as the Ugwuogo-Nike-Nsukka road, once associated with kidnapping incidents, has gone largely unacknowledged by these social media critics. Yet, such progress speaks volumes.
Interestingly, Governor Mbah has remained focused and undistracted. He has his eyes firmly on the ball and has continued to strengthen the state’s security architecture, fully aware that safeguarding lives and property is the primary responsibility of government and a prerequisite for development.
It is deeply troubling that some individuals fabricate and spread fake news, even on sensitive issues involving security and human lives. One begins to wonder whether such individuals truly care about the victims, the security agencies, or the government.
At times, these purveyors of falsehood appear to celebrate infrastructural deficits and security challenges rather than approach them with empathy and concern. Yet, by available indicators, Enugu State remains one of the most peaceful and secure states in the country today.
This does not mean that Governor Mbah’s government is complacent, far from it. Continuous efforts are being made to enhance security and sustain development in the state.
Meanwhile, one must ask: why should anyone in a sane society take these purveyors of fake news seriously, if not for the growing gullibility among the populace, including the elite? The erosion of ethics, law, and professionalism in information dissemination has created a dangerous environment where falsehood is easily believed.
With the reckless abuse of social media, particularly by mischief makers, it is not surprising that some countries have imposed restrictions or outright bans to safeguard societal stability.
In conclusion, the misuse of social media as a tool for misinformation, character assassination, and political manipulation is a dangerous trend that must not be normalized.
As 2027 approaches, Nigerians must rise above propaganda, embrace critical thinking, and prioritize truth over sensationalism.
Ultimately, leadership should be judged by performance, integrity, and measurable impact, not by the noise of social media purveyors of falsehoods. History has consistently shown that deception is temporary, but truth and results endure.
Ezea writes from Independence Layout, Enugu State
