Apurported ‘news story’ posted by a certain Ola Fapson on FACEBOOK early last week has got me into a perception calamity.It carried the “news” that former Governor Ikpeazu of Abia State has been condemned to death after being found guilty of corruptly siphoning the impossible sum of N1 trillion belonging to Abia state away to an impossible destination of Australia or New Zealand! Social media fiction does not come in a fatter dose!
I immediately saw this phantom ‘news’ as a typical example of what damage the social media could do if allowed unfeterred flowering in our media space. For me, here was an example of how fiction can graduate into fact for the ignorant. It needed to be shot down before fiction graduates into dangerous viral menace. I just thought the best thing to do is to share this ‘news’ as a joke so that we could laugh it out of existence.
First, where would Abia State find the spare 1 trillion? Which court sentenced the poor man into oblivion? There is no law in our books that stipulates the death penalty for corruption, common stealing in Nigerian parlance. Even if such a law existed, the investigation of such a mega crime would involve the Nigeria Police, the EFCC, the NSA’s office etc. Most tiers of the judiciary must have heard and ruled on the case etc. The case must have been headline news for months and years. I concluded that this was classic foolish social media humour that could entertain my fellow Facebook people. So, I decided to share the joke and silly humour on my page on Facebook so that I could get more dimensions of the humour! I did not want to laugh alone in these sad times!
With hindsight, sharing the joke was my big error. The response was instant and acidic. The insults rained from everywhere. Responders forgot the original author of the ‘news’ story. People even forgot that I am not a reporter but an opinion columnist. They even wanted to hang the stupid story around my neck by all means. Some of them quickly edited out the name of the original author of the toxic piece. Chidi Amuta was conferred with the authorship of a piece he knew nothing about. I became the direct target of the toxic verbal missiles.
All manner of urchins could now pronounce my name. Everything was an instrument. Friends, associates and readers literally from the whole world called to find out if I was ok in terms of mental health since most of them had come to associate me with more common sense than to author such idiocy under a pseudonym. I then read the original post and found the name of the author.
I hardly use pseudonyms. I directly criticize or condemn whoever I am unhappy with without fear. I have written about practically every major personality on earth in the last four decades. I have directly interviewed, face-to-face, over a dozen heads of state including those who welcomed me into their offices with pistols out of holsters! In one case, I had to scale a hurdle of fierce tanks to enter the interview venue.
In all of my 40 years in journalism, this is the first time I have had to explain my action or judgment in print. Secondly, I have never had to retract a story or column. I write what I believe in in the best words I possibly know how to.
In terms of the present situation in Abia state, I am even more embarrassed. I know both former Governor Ikpeazu and incumbent Governor Alex Otti. I regard both as my junior brothers. Each of them has been free to attend my events or call on me in the house in Lagos.
I do not have and never had any business or financial dealing with either man or with Abia State in any form, shape or scope. I am not a politician by any stretch. I am not a contractor, supplier or brief case carrying agent. I am a merchant of light and ideas, an intellectual and journalist in the best global tradition. I of course have respectable business interests which pay my bills and assure a comfortable existence.
Therefore, all imputations of personal interest behind the Facebook catastrophe are misguided, mischievous and uninformed about my person or circumstances. I have no need to praise or condemn any politician for personal financial gain.
On the many misreadings of this Facebook calamity, I deeply regret and sincerely apologise to my friends, readers and
Associates who have read the various mangled misrepresentations of the Facebook sharing fiasco. I promise to show a better homegrown sensitivity to our sense of humour next time.
I hope we can lay this nasty social media ghost to rest at last. If the social media is to continue to play its role in our national life, both the audience and practitioners need a higher level of perceptiveness and also a more sophisticated sense of humour.
