NewStats: 3,265,134 , 8,185,754 topics. Date: Friday, 13 June 2025 at 03:22 PM 5r5d1o

Barbarians Have Taken Over Social Media - Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has expressed dismay over the use of social media in Nigeria.

He regretted that in Nigeria, social media has been dragged down to “the lowest common denominator.”

Speaking on Saturday at the 48th President’s party and his investiture as a honorary member of Abeokuta Club, Ogun State, Soyinka lamented social media’s descent to the lowest standards and takeover by what he calls “barbarians.”

He contrasts this with other societies where social media serve as valuable platforms for intellectual discourse, highlighting the absence of such reasoned engagement in the Nigerian context due to the influence of those who have compromised its intellectual integrity.

He said, “In a situation where disagreement in an election can lead to one being labeled something phobia or whatever. It is certainly amazing that in a community of intellect, and genuine and authentic values and then we have a situation of something called social media.

“The social media is awash with accusations of one being a kind of ethnophobic. So strange to me, but that is what we have been reduced to. And when that kind of accusation comes, there is no need or value in trying to say you are not. You just say thank you very much! The complement of ethnophobia is ethnophilia.

“So, if you are ethnophobic in one direction, then pull back and become ethnophilia in the other direction and leave those who claim that they are being mobilised to wallow in their own campaign of hatred, of dehumanisation of others simply because of glaring routine mundane activities as holding a political opinion, as making political observation and warning others not to plunge the society into the dark age from which we barely emerged at very cruel dictatorship, the cruelest this nation has ever had.

“I’m astonished and flabbergasted that people are so power-besotted that they can’t even accept the possibility that they did not win an election. It does not matter whether you are right or wrong or they are right. It is just a question.

“Take your facts to the table, let’s examine them carefully, consider the possibility that we may be wrong or you may be wrong. But you don’t have to descend into demonisation of the group to which others belong in order to establish your point.

“I don’t deal in social media. As far as I’m concerned, babarians have taken over social media and they have swapped the intellectual quotient which used to make and still makes social media valid in other societies. Here in this country, social media has been dragged down to the lowest common denominator.”

Soyinka, however, called on the country’s intellectual and creative community to save the nation from the negativity of social media.

“However, I believe in the community of the intellect of minds and creativity to rescue us from the monstrosity that social media has become (in this country),” he said.

Speaking during his induction as an honorary member of the Abeokuta Club, Soyinka appreciated the club for the recognition.

Various demands for social media regulation have emerged over the years due to misuse. The former government, in response, prohibited the use of the most popular social media platform to combat the issue.
https://punchng.com/dont-ban-social-media-regulate-it-sultan-tells-fg/

SOURCE

Where's the lie

Granted that social media has been infiltrated by mongrels who flaunt ethnic supremacist agenda, we shouldn't forget so easily that even without social media, political differences have always lead to crisis and violence even during the time of the Prof?

We once had politically motivated wet e in the west and it wasn't caused by social media.

Do we need to regulate the irresponsible use of the social media? I think YES without necessarily gagging the media. .

I respect Mr Soyinka a lot but he needs to detach himself from APC.

Elections have come and gone and all the court cases have been settled as well.

I've never seen this side of him before, he's too political now

T

Leave social media for us Mr integrity.

I am definitely ethnophilia

This Gbajue Professor and crying about those old enough to be his kids.

Soyinka rest na. Kilode.

I could when he called the wife of a sitting President Shepopotammus and a President Nebuchadnezzar.

Point One! Nobody takes you serious

One fact about this people.. they give without qualms, then expect everyone to suckle it.. is okay..give em back they start blabbing.
Was it not this fool that and his goons that drag social media to the gutters .. ? And still pushing it down the lagoon

Soyinka has gone nuts..

He wan use English confuse his dem dem to keep ethnophobic..

Stupid barbarian

Power of food..



Ask Ffk



Makossa for the highest bidder

God1000:


I respect Mr Soyinka a lot but he needs to detach himself from this APC government.

Elections have come and gone and all the court cases have been settled as well.

He can't..... His hatred for Peter Obi is very glaring.


Asked Elrufai why he's against Peter Obi and he will tell you that Obi locked him up during his time as a governor.

Ask Soyinka the same question and he will be so confused but because he's loving the attention given to him for spilling hatred.

It's so embarrassing that grey hair doesn't really translate to wisdom.

Same fool and his fools threatened to form a parallel government should they lose an election
..
.. this mad is here yarning dust... did he not insult a sitting president and his wife?

They simply hate truth and reality

A prof and his dead IO...

This people sef

BabaRamota1980:
I am definitely ethnophilia

Ethnophilic

Soyinka is a core tribalist .. foolish barbarian

Let's make one thing clear. A noble laureate once called the wife of a sitting President a "Shepopotamus" and sadly, that same man was the founder one of the deadliest cult groups in our universities.

Regrettably, you would think this man has the midas touch to turn things around for the better but, hey, the same man was appointed by IBB sometime ago to head an agency that he ended up ruining everything under his watch.


You see, he shouldn't be the one to talk about who is a barbarian on the social media. Prof started misbehaving and decided to become the poster boy of the blabbermouth the very day he started romancing with the criminals in APC.

As it stands, he is outrightly shamelessly granting interviews way below his standard.

Ok

STFU Capone Blood, u idol worshiping freak

Prof should leave the barbarians to continue in their folly.

He no lie

Very true my erudite Prof.....quite a good number of them are on this platform very frustrated il_bred mofos with no iota of respect for their betters, their pseudo relief only comes when they attack en mass hysteria like rabid dogs on any person who don't share their archaic view points.

Penguin2:
All I have to say is that fools grow old too.

Don’t be a fool when you grow old. You hear?

Who is a fool between you and one of the world's greatest intellectual

You are a good example of the barbarian he talked about!

JASONjnr:


He can't..... His hatred for Peter Obi is very glaring.


Asked Elrufai why he's against Peter Obi and he will tell you that Obi locked him up during his time as a governor.

Ask Soyinka the same question and he will be so confused but because he's loving the attention given to him for spilling hatred.

It's so embarrassing that grey hair doesn't really translate to wisdom.

Obis crime is that he never gave him food.. it's a common Nigerian thing


The man himself itted that at some time ,bat gave him food.

The Oracle has spoken.
It's what it is. Those guys are never cultured.
You can only notice their true identity when you have a different opinion from theirs.
Many people who hitherto believed in one "Andrews Liver Salt" political movement have learnt their lessons.
They can drag their grandparents on the ground for any minute different opinion.

He was very vocal against Jonathan's govt when dollar was N180/$1 but became very quiet in Buhari's govt & Tinubu's. It seems Soyinka new job is to attack the youths who are venting their displeasure against malistration.

When will he speak on the insecurities & acute hunger ravaging the land.

All I know is that the barbarians have taken over nairaland and they are quick to insult a successful elderly they lack in their generation

Law of diminishing returns.

Says the pioneer of cultism in Nigerian Universities. Well, I won't say he should allow his family die of hunger though. He needs to do the work he was contracted for.

mightyhaze:
Obis crime is that he never gave him food.. it's a common Nigerian thing


The man itted that at some time ,bat gave him food.

DesChyko:
Says the pioneer of University cultism in Nigeria.

Nawa4nl:
STFU Capone Blood, u idol worshiping freak

Odin13:
Soyinka is a core tribalist .. foolish barbarian

JASONjnr:


He can't..... His hatred for Peter Obi is very glaring.


Asked Elrufai why he's against Peter Obi and he will tell you that Obi locked him up during his time as a governor.

Ask Soyinka the same question and he will be so confused but because he's loving the attention given to him for spilling hatred.

It's so embarrassing that grey hair doesn't really translate to wisdom.

AcuraZDX:
This Gbajue Professor and crying about those old enough to be his kids.

Soyinka rest na. Kilode.

I could when he called the wife of a sitting President Shepopotammus.

Point One! Nobody takes you serious

Penguin2:
All I have to say is that fools grow old too.

Don’t be a fool when you grow old. You hear?

na them be this, bitter ppl wailing till eternity

We know them and their ilks