1. Atiku
When the former Vice President came up on the trend today, these are what a couple of Nigerians said:
@theonly1acre: “The Atiku media team are not helping matters at all. You tell him on days to reach out and the days to avoid social media. You guys are killing a brand that was almost like the option of the ‘Devil you know’. Sad.”
@OdogwuAkpo: “That brand is already as dead as Dangote Pasta.”
@9jamadenurse: “You still wonder why Tinubu, Atiku, or any other senile backward thinking politician still believes they can become the President, Governor or Senator in Nigeria in 2023, it’s because they know that there’s so much poverty in the land, caused by them. Guess what? they are Willing to weaponize it. As we all saw yesterday during the #June12thProtest, people collected 1000, 2000 to wear pro BUHARI vest and stand in support of the tyrant who has taken them over 100,000 steps backwards.
“Whoever can collect 1000, 2000 to stand with Buhari will collect 2000 or 5000 to vote for tinubu or Atiku. It’s high time we started educating the people on the streets and we have to be intentional about it. 2023 isn’t far anymore. The time to start acting is now if we really want to #EndBadGovernanceinNIGERIA.”
2. South East
The failure of *June12thProtest* in the South East region has elicited reactions on social.
A Twitter user, @calmadini, who set the ball rolling, said “The South East, is arguably one of the MOST mismanaged and misgoverned regions in #Nigeria. But in a supposed wave of protests to #EndBadGovernanceinNIGERIA, not a single protest is being organized in the SE…Why? Just a rhetorical question.”
Responding to the above concern @AishaYesufu said “The people of the South East are already being systematically massacred by security agents. Coming out to protest is not the most pragmatic in that region. They did sit at home recently which is more pragmatic for that region at the moment.”
Also, @UchePOkoye wrote “I like this thread for so many reasons.
The unraveling!
We won’t protest for Nigeria’s Democracy Day in the South East.
We protested on the day that’s our own “Democracy Day” 30th May. How you people fail to understand this beats my imagination.
Your chagrin ignorance!”
3. Igbo
The call for promotion of Igbo culture took the center stage on social media as some proponents came up with reasons for protecting the Igbo identity.
Some of the discourse on the trend are captured below:
@UchePOkoye: “I want a country where the official language will be Igbo with no apology.
Where visiting presidents will use translator to communicate with us.
China is learning Igbo language now without that, and my dream is to build a country like Norway, Japan, and Finland.
Homogeneous!”
But observing the flaw in the above comment, @chetenna pointed out that “If Biafra is to encompass non-Igbo tribes, I’m sorry your ideology isn’t acceptable.
This is the basis of fear amongst other non-Igbo tribes.
They DON’T want to be dominated and fair enough, they are right.
English is neutral.”
Other discussions on this trend were built around these two principal arguments.
4. Yoruba
Although this trend has several linkages, the two major aspects of it that attracted much discussions are the Yoruba Nation Activists protest in US and Canada, reported to have taken place concurrently with the #June12thProtest in Nigeria, and the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election by the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime.
These are what Nigerians say in that respect:
@CallMeJossy: “SW remains the glue still holding this nation together. If the SW goes, then it’s over.”
@adenijiharuna32: “We want our own Nation NOW.”
@ChalikeChinonso: “No way nigeria will survive what is about to come.”
@DemolaRewaju: “One like the Great Oracle is more qualified to discuss that aspect anyway… I’m just a learner sharing what I know.
“Biggest lesson for me here is that a national front to confront societal madness must always be embraced in rejection of an ethnic one – it’s a historical lesson.
“That an Abiola who had won a national mandate was reduced to fighting for it from an ethnic platform is an irony, more so when you remember he had never really been an ethnic player all his life.
“And the struggled continued until G34 came on the scene as a National platform.”
Replying the tweet immediately above, @AbdulMahmud01 said “Bull’s eye analysis. Spot on. Was the struggle ethnicisized? Yes. It was also naturally going to be so, considering that the politics around June 12 had become ethnic – not by the doing of the Yorubas; but by the military that mobilized anti-June 12 ethnic groups. Well done.”
5. #BuhariMustGo
Below are some of the comments that are commonly found under the #BuhariMustGo hashtag.
@Intergrity56: “They sent Counter Terrorism Unit to attack Peaceful protesters. Buhari sees Protest as act of terror.
This man does not have a place in a democracy.”
@Aremuguccy: “Is time to pick a protest date for Twitter Ban. Lawful protest is our constitutional Right and it must be exercised, protected and Respected.
Once we lost our voices, we lost it all.”
@mani_lapussh: “I have never seen the Nigerian police so active when it comes to harassing citizens they are meant to be protecting! But when they are called to duty, for thugs and robbery invasion, Omo.. zero presence.”
5. Niger
Niger came up on the trend following news of some cases of violence, including a particular one where the Daily Trust and the People’s Gazette reported that Nigerian Air Force strike killed wedding guests.
Still under the trend, the Vanguard reported that NAF air strike killed scores of bandits and stolen cattle.
Also, on Aljazeera report, assailant with machine gun attacked home of a politician in Niger State and killed a security guard in the process.
Another version of the trend is captured in Arise TV reportage in which President Buhari was reported to have said that Nigeria cannot afford funds to revive education.
But some who reacted on the thread flayed the President for making such comment, saying there was no fund for education yet the Federal Government could take loans to build rail line to Maradi, Niger Republic.
6. Rest In Peace
This hashtag trended globally as there were comments from people around the world who mourned and commemorated their loved ones.
But in Nigeria, many of the reactions were commemorations of the ‘hero’ of June 12, 1993 annulment, as some described MKO Abiola.
7. NANS
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was dragged on social media because the student body boycotted the #June12thProtest.
Those who supported the protest slammed NANS, saying the association is only concerned with its own interest and not that of the masses.
8. Naira
A cross-section of Nigerians on social media have decried the continuous fall of the Naira against the US Dollar.
They recalled that in 2011, 1million naira was equivalent to 6,400 USD, but now the same 1million naira goes for just a paltry 2,000 USD.
9. Calabar
This trend did not focus on any specific topic, but spread tentacles on some of the major happenings in the Cross River capital city, as seen in the comments below.
@the_davidata: “The new Lekki deep port… The new Ibom deep port… The Calabar port.. All are captured in the new rail network and all will cross link to Maradi… The rail in Borno will probably link some town in Chad… But we’ll deal with that future episode of wailing when it arrives.”
@chukaobi: “If the existing ports & rail connecting the country was satisfactory then it would be easy to shut up any dissenting voices.
“It’s always been an issue of priorities.”
@NaijaMeritNG: “Woman allegedly stabs her 15-year-old housemaid in Calabar after she found her sitting on husband’s lap.”
@JEkpenyongWTP: “If Governor Ayade can mobilize & summon federal troops to calabar to restrict peaceful Democracy Day protesters, instead of urging and equipping them to tackle the various insecurity issues in the country, then our Governor is a major enabler of insecurity in Nigeria.”
10. Kaduna
Just like the Calabar trend, Kaduna was on the trend with no specific subject matter.
These comments below and similar ones dominated the thread.
@Amabdul4real: “Kaduna and Jos dey always have tribal and religious riot right from time.”
@InsideKaduna: “Bandits Kidnap Family Of Eight, Four Others In Zaria.”
@Austynzogs: “@Gidi_Traffic Gunmen have attacked Kofar Gayan and Kofar Kona areas of Zaria in Kaduna State, abducting no fewer than 12 persons from their homes. The abduction happened barely two days after bandits invaded Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, and took away students and lecturers.”
@Better_Kaduna: “The level of economic growth that kaduna will witness courtesy of markets development will be unprecedented
“A conducive market environment will surely attract more investors that will spur more capital developments/startups, thereby creating jobs and improving the local economy.”
11. Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State Governor, Jide Sanwo-Olu trended after photos on social media show him hosting UFC fighter, Kamaru Usman, nicknamed the Nigerian Nightmare.
Although many spoke glowingly about the gesture and that it would encourage sportsmen and women, others viewed it from a different lens as the say the Governor is wasting the state money on unnecessary PR.
12. Zamfara
Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawelle is being quoted on social media as saying the banditry situation in the state is getting worse every day and that negotiation with the bandits have failed.
Reacting to this, some Nigerians said negotiating with bandits in the first place was a wrong move that has further emboldened them to continue in their nefarious act.
They suggested the application of lethal force as a possible way to bring the situation under control.
13. Wizkid
Wizkid has attracted a lot of reactions on Instagram, after the popular Nigerian artiste, posted a photo of Lai Mohammed on his Instagram story.
Wizkid posted the picture of Lai Mohammed on his story, without adding any caption to it.This has caused mixed reactions online. It made a lot of people wonder what message he is trying to pass with the picture.
They are wondering what might have triggered the Nigerian artiste to post that picture on his Instagram story, without saying a word, or letting people know the reason why he did that.
This is something that has never been done by Wizkid, which makes the act very mysterious to his fans and followers.
