Nigerians sometimes resist the obvious truth of certain situations, often by distorting the actual story or directing their anger towards inconsequential parts of it. While some view this behavior as critical analysis, it ultimately becomes unproductive, disregards the main issue and leads to unnecessary and false narratives. During important conversations, it can be fascinating to see how differently people interpret what is said and what conclusions can be drawn from it. Somehow, the conclusion a few Twitter users have gleaned from the publication of Zikoko’s Naira Life story this week is that media houses should be punished for simply doing their jobs. This conclusion is undoubtedly absurd and it is a surprise it was reached.
Zikoko, a digital magazine that aims to drive conversation and amplify the voice of Nigerian youth published an entry to one of their popular segments, Naira Life, which is dedicated to understanding how different Nigerians use and relate to money. Their recent publication featured the daughter of a Nigerian politician who gave insight into her privileged life. The anonymous entry mentioned a few questionable incidents relating to money which has rightfully caused an uproar on Twitter, especially a situation closely resembling elements of a money laundry scheme. In response to the enraging stories narrated, Twitter users wrongly directed their anger towards Zikoko and allegedly reported their account, getting them suspended on Twitter. The uproar to the content of the story is understandable, however the anonymity of the interviewee has placed a target on the platform itself.
This reaction is not proportionate to the situation in any way. In fact, it ignores the crux of the matter, which is the real life portrayal of something we have always been aware of – that Nigerian politicians are corrupt people who have been squandering public funds. The only new information is that we can now visualise the actual Ghana must go bags of money and the restrooms they’re now hidden in. It also lets us imagine in more detail how these funds are laundered by them. Thus, the issue here is not with Zikoko, who are only doing their jobs by sharing stories of Nigerian youths. People are quick to forget that the role of media is not to appeal to sensibilities or uphold complacent ideas, but rather to spotlight flaws in the system and evoke conversations about difficult topics. They have the responsibility to report stories in their entirety, irrespective of if the subjects are underprivileged or privileged – either by honest work or embezzlement of public funds. It enables a wealth of perspective where different life experiences are easily available to comprehend. Furthermore, the same way stories of underprivileged people inspire and evoke empathy or create a shift in perspectives, is the same way stories of the privileged acknowledge the disparity in classes of wealth.
It goes without saying that in sharing all kinds of perspectives, there are bound to be controversial stories shared . When this occurs, the more productive response is to investigate what these stories are trying to say, why they’ve evoked such a response and address them adequately . In this case, it will be a better use of energy and time to question the political system that has allowed public servants to lavish on the dime of Nigerian citizens.
It is also important to recognise Zikoko and other storytelling platforms as intermediaries between the subjects of interviews or writers and their audience. As an intermediary, their job is to relay the information they gather in the most effective manner. This does not translate to their support of or believe in the content. It is surprising that this simple fact still causes confusion amongst readers to the extent of facilitating the suspension of Zikoko’s twitter account. Attention needs to be redirected to the politicians who have exploited Nigeria’s funds or the larger topic of corruption, not the Magazine candidly bringing attention to the fact. It will be more beneficial for us as Nigerians to focus on the right issues.