– How residents in Ajegunle allowed abnormalities to become the Mores and Folkways in their backyard…
By Fakunle Sheriff Ekundayo
The recent invitation of Rasheed Isa Abiodun, popularly known as Ajegunle Mouthpiece, by the Nigerian Police at the request of Hon. Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul, Ph.D., the Federal lawmaker representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, has sparked an avalanche of emotions among residents, stakeholders, and politicians in the local government. What appears on the superficial surface, as an emotional dehumanization, and obstruction of freedom of expression may have inflamed a sensational call for condemnation on the part of the elected federal lawmaker, but on the other hand lies an unethical phenomenon; brewing negligently, and if unchecked may riddled not just the journalism profession, but permeates cultural manipulations, glorify social bullying, and entrench a horrific institution of news sensationalism, misinformation, and malicious disinformation for personal gains in a docile society like Ajegunle, writes Fakunle Sheriff Ekundayo .
Residents in Ajegunle have become the dumping ground for egocentric behaviours displayed by stakeholders, non-political players, and social sympathizers on matters affecting the healthy lifestyles of people in the community. It is perhaps a pathway to inflame, incite and influence actions of residents because the environment is docile, and the conscience of the people has not just been gagged, but has become clueless on what is right and wrong.
The recent invitation by the Nigerian Police extended to a content creator named Rasheed Isa Abiodun on the request of Hon. Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul, Ph.D., federal lawmaker representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, is a classic example of societal misconception and emotional uproar on what should be condemned and not glorified.
It appears that the general society has come to accept a certain trend of abnormalities on the social media space, especially with uncensored social media content creators, who ignorantly and willfully violate and abuse the right of ‘Freedom of Expression’, under the guise of sounding like the freedom fighters and conscience of the masses.
Let’s make it clear in this instance, the Cybercrime Act 2015, amended in 2024, penalizes false information and cyberbullying. The NTDA Code of Practice 2024 compels platforms to remove ‘harmful’ content and maintain user safety.
While sifting emotion from constructive arguments, the questions that a docile society like Ajegunle should ask stem from the following…
– Was the online content published by Rasheed Isa Abiodun malicious and harmful?
– Does the online content publication by Rasheed Isa Abiodun demonstrate an act of misinformation and deliberate misinformation?
– Was such a publication disseminated willfully to smear the reputation of an elected public office holder?
“Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999, as amended, guarantees every citizen freedom from discrimination based on community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion, or political opinion. It prohibits discriminatory laws or administrative actions, and protects individuals from being subjected to disabilities or restrictions, including those based on the circumstances of their birth.”
More so, the Social Media Act in Nigeria states that ‘a person shall not open an account to transmit false statements. Anyone found guilty will be fined N200,000 or three years imprisonment or both {for an individual or five million naira {for a corporate organization}.
Sequel to the aforementioned laws and acts presented above, it has become expedient, and as a matter of social orientation and re-orientation, to put into proper perspective what a docile environment like Ajegunle should know and disregard.
– The emotional and sensational call for the release of Rasheed Isa Abiodun must follow a legal sense of precedents…it must not become a yardstick for unnecessary social activist jamboree. The likes of Moshood Oshunfurewa must be made to sift emotion from logical reasoning. His inflamed diatribe against Hon. Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul, Ph.D., must undergo legal scrutiny. This aside, his social attack on political office holders has fermented a calculated hatred of the primary function of what the roles of an elected representative, such as Hon. Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul, Ph.D., should be.
Moshood’s emotional tirade on the case of Rasheed Isa Abiodun must not be used as an avenue to glorify a content creator as a Journalist. This is appalling and intellectually bereft of a backyard activist within the confines of Arumoh Street!
Let it be known for posterity’s sake, Rasheed Isa Abiodun is not a journalist; his online social media activities are a reflection of a manipulative society that has come to glorify mediocrity in the parlance of political skullduggery. Unfortunately, the said content creator has overtime being used as a pawn to ferment public sympathy by some politicians under the guise of social empathy and welfare for the general masses.
As a media practitioner with a track record in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government and Lagos State in general, the fact must be stated that the actions of the said content creator could be reviewed to misinform and disinform a docile society like Ajegunle.
This is a call for social orientation and re-orientation on basic journalistic skills among keypad warriors and social media influencers. Residents must understand when to draw the lines from what is right and emotionally charged, for cheap political and social points.
Unfortunately, the same content creator had been nurtured and fed by politicians with disregard for professionalism in the mainstream media. He is now a monster used as a pawn in their chess game of political shibboleth.
To Moshood and his sympathizers on this case of deliberate extortion, denigration of personality, and malicious dissemination of false information, which is calculated to misinform and disinform society about the political status of the federal lawmaker, as requested by Hon. Kalejaiye Adeboye Paul, Ph.D., to the Nigerian Police, let Rasheed Isa Abiodun justify his online content with facts and figures!
Activism without logical reasoning and fact-finding is a social nuisance; Ajegunle deserves better. Let the public orientation on misinformation and disinformation take over from here….
Fakunle Sheriff Ekundayo is an author, columnist, publisher, news reporter, speech consultant, voice-over artist, historian, and community development advocate. He is the convener of Ajegunle Legacy Awards, ALA, founder of 3:16 Creative and Leadership Hub. Media consultant to 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State. He was the Chief Press Secretary to Hon. Ayoola Fatai Adekunle, Executive Chairman of Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and the first Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Conference 57 CPS Lagos State (2018-2025). He was the General Secretary for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential and Governorship Campaign Committee 2023 for Lagos-West II, Badagry Division
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