Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has acknowledged the growing hostility on social media platforms, backing Labour Party leader Peter Obi’s recent claims. In a post on his official X handle (formerly Twitter), Sani stated that Obi’s assertion about young people being paid to insult others online is “not far away from the truth”.
However, he emphasised that the trend of online insults is not limited to government supporters alone but also thrives among opposition followers. According to him, social media has become a battleground intolerant of dissenting views, where expressing unpopular opinions often invites targeted attacks or mob outrage.
The words of the President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, who was once the Chairman of Hand-in-Hand, read, “Peter Obi’s claim about young people being paid to insult others on social media is not far away from the truth, but another side of the truth is that the same insults also come from the young supporters of the opposition.”
The one-time leading figure in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria also stated that “social media is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not a street for gentlemen. Social media and insults are like 5 and 6.”
Regarding the social media, he further stated that, “If you say what the government doesn’t like, you can be targeted; if you say what the opposition doesn’t like, you can be mobbed. We live in a hostile society, intolerant of contrary opinions or dissenting views.”
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