Sir:The social media, which we can easily access via our mobile phones, has become the veritable source of all manner of information in our today’s world.

We can use the online medium to send information to a great number of people during emergencies. In the recent past, during the Arab Spring, some despotic political leaders in North Africa were ousted from their offices through the instrumentality of the social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

However, anything, which has advantages, has disadvantages, too.
Many people are putting the social media to a very bad use in Nigeria. For example, some Facebook users have names on their Facebook accounts, which are non de plumes. Those people do malign the characters and reputations of their political foes so as to gain political mileage over them.

Again, wannabe artistes whose artistic performances have not won them a great number of fans stereotype important personages and well-known towns so as to become popular and achieve fame. They do not take cognizance of the fact that some matters are historical sore points; and that it is an unconscionable act to besmirch the reputations of other people.

The TikTok skits of one Chibuike Grace have come into focus as they have ruffled the feathers of many distinguished Obosi natives. His portrayals of crimes in the Onitsha and Obosi environs by using the lingo of the people of the underworld deserve commendations as they reveal the modus operandi of criminals in the area.

But his dropping of the name, Obosi, in his skits to prove that Obosi is the haven of drug lords and hideout for criminals is very distasteful. And it is disingenuous of him to stereotype the people of Obosi as bad people. No town has people who are either totally good or wholly bad. Good people live alongside bad people in any town.

Again, on the other hand, artistes ought not to go beyond certain bounds in order for them not to cause inter- communal wars. A matter, such as the true owners of a disputed area, should be skirted by artistes and social media influencers. It is a historical sore point, which can re-ignite inter-communal conflict between two towns, which have strained relationship.

The fragility of the Nigerian state is such that an inter-communal war between two towns can snowball into a national political conflagration or sectarian violence. And at this political juncture in Nigeria, a sectarian violence or political conflagration in Nigeria can cause our country to bowl over, and disintegrate.

So laws should be made and domesticated to check the excesses of those who use the social media to wreak havoc in our society.

Chiedu Uche Okoye Uruowulu-Obosi Anambra State (08062220654). Okoye is a poet and the official communicator of the Obosi Development Union (ODU) President General.