Activism Is Not A License For Reckless Insults
By Adewole Kehinde
“Reckless youth makes rueful age” – Benjamin Franklin
Activism is a noble calling. It is the voice of conscience that questions power, exposes injustice, and advocates for social change. But in recent times, some self-acclaimed activists in Nigeria have twisted this noble vocation into a reckless weapon for slander, blackmail, and cyber bullying.
Let it be said without equivocation: activism is not a license for reckless insults. Defamation is not courage. It is cowardice masked as advocacy, and the law will surely humble those who mistake slander for freedom of speech.
We have seen it play out with individuals like Deji Adeyanju and Omoyele Sowore, who at different points have crossed the thin line between activism and character assassination.
Their commentaries often abandon the principles of fact-based criticism and veer into reckless name-calling, unverified allegations, and personal vendettas against public officials. That is not activism — it is an abuse of free speech.
True activism thrives on truth, research, and integrity. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Gani Fawehinmi stood tall because they spoke truth to power with evidence, not malice. They built credibility through sacrifice, not through the cheap thrill of online insults.
But what we witness today in the Nigerian space is an army of keyboard warriors who confuse social media clout with social impact, reducing activism to daily episodes of cyber bullying.
Take for example how Sowore, during one of his endless tirades, accused top security officials of plotting against him without proof. Or Deji Adeyanju, who has made a career out of attacking leaders without presenting coherent facts to back his claims.
These antics may excite their social media followers, but they erode public trust and diminish the seriousness of genuine activism. When lies are repeated loudly, some may mistake them for truth, but the law is patient, and it does not forget.
Defamation laws exist not to gag free speech, but to protect individuals and institutions from malicious falsehood. Freedom of expression is guaranteed, but it carries responsibility.
As the courts have repeatedly ruled, no one has the right to destroy another’s reputation under the guise of activism. Those who insist otherwise will soon learn that slander has consequences — in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion.
Nigeria is a democracy, not a lawless space. If you have evidence of corruption, present it. If you believe a policy is flawed, critique it constructively. But to wake up daily and hurl reckless accusations at leaders and institutions without proof is not courage; it is blackmail, it is cyber bullying, and it is criminal.
The path forward is simple: let us reclaim activism from the merchants of insults. Let activism once again be a platform of integrity, built on facts, research, and genuine sacrifice.
Nigeria does not need reckless slanderers parading as activists; it needs principled voices who can speak truth to power without fear and without falsehood.
History will remember the difference. Those who mistake defamation for activism will face the full weight of the law. Those who embrace truth will earn respect that outlives them.
Adewole Kehinde is the publisher of Swift Reporters and can be reached via kennyadewole@gmail.com @adewole 08166240846
