Tinubu's aide criticizes Nasboi for spreading fear

The Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has criticized skitmaker Nasboi for allegedly using his platform to spread fear.

He was responding to a video of armed men with advanced weapons attacking a military base, which Nasboi shared on Tuesday.

This is the second time in a week that a presidential aide has taken aim at a Nigerian celebrity. Last Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, called for the prosecution of activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan. He accused VDM of spreading fake audio linked to the president.

But the presidency’s call for VDM’s prosecution over alleged AI-generated voice notes attributed to President Bola Tinubu seems to have been based on a video that was not from VDM’s original post.

Disinformation

Mr Olusegun also warned Nasboi about his recent post. An X handle called Defence News Nigeria first shared the video.

The handle said, "Footage from JNIM’s attack on the Beninese Army barracks at Koalou-Kourou, which left 12 soldiers dead. Benin has no air force in practical terms, relying on a small fleet of 11 helicopters, no combat aircraft."

"JNIM faces no threat from the air, so they enjoy freedom of movement. The Nigerian Air Force will have to step in before the group continues its southward advance toward the coast," the news platform added.

Nasboi shared the post and tagged President Bola Tinubu’s handle. Earlier, he posted a video of suspected bandits caught in the Ajah area of Lagos. He captioned it, "Ladies and gentlemen, we would have no option but to protect ourselves soon."

Fear mongering

In response to Nasboi’s post, Mr Olusegun said the actor and musician should not use his page to spread fear intentionally.

He stated, "The video you posted was clearly quoted from a page that says these are Beninese terrorists. This means the footage is from the Benin Republic and has nothing to do with Nigeria."

He continued, "We have our challenges, but you using your wide reach to spread fear with fake footage is the highest form of irresponsibility. You can do better."

Mr Olusegun also explained that news of the attack was widely reported last week when Nigeria sent troops to the Benin Republic to deter potential threats that could affect Nigeria.

He added, "The security agencies are well on top of the Benin crisis, and we hope normalcy is restored soon."

Nasboi reacts

Though he has deleted the post, Nasboi responded to the presidential aide’s criticism. He said that if speaking about the wrongs of this government is seen as farming for engagement, then he would rather be called a farmer.

He added, "In this same country? Real farmers can’t even go to their farms without fear of bandits. The land is unsafe, and livelihoods are under threat."

He stated, "I will keep farming here with my tweets, with my voice, with my words."

He insisted that the idea that he was spreading fear was irrelevant, as there is already fear in the country.

Nasboi said, "I can barely sleep. I’m traumatized. Aren’t we all? Raising awareness is now being twisted into ‘spreading fear’ simply because some people are desperate to silence anyone who speaks up."

Previous tirade

Mr Olusegun’s comments come after Nasboi expressed concern about Nigeria’s rising insecurity. In a series of posts, the singer warned that armed bandits were slowly coming into Lagos.

He said, "I’m deeply afraid because the bandits are now showing the audacity to come into Lagos. If they arrive and begin to harm Lagosians, we must be cautious because even ordinary Fulani people in Lagos, who are not involved in these acts, could become targets."

He described the situation as dangerous and stressed the need to prevent the country from descending into conflict.

In another tweet, he criticized those trying to dismiss online discussions. He noted that these discussions are vital.

He said, "These online discussions are powerful. They are sensitizing people, sharing videos and images, and showing what we are going through. And when it’s time to vote, people will know exactly who deserves their support."

Nasboi concluded, "So, if you get your PVC like we keep saying, if we all do, we will have a bigger voice at the polls. That is the strength of social media."