SOCIALMEDIABITS

Last week on social media, the Vice President overhauled SARS, Solomon Dalung got schooled by FIFA, and Davido proclaimed a new dawn for Osun State in Port Harcourt...

Early in the week, one of Nigeria’s most accomplished footballers decided to hang up his boots. Victor Moses announced on Twitter that he was retiring from the Super Eagles to concentrate on club football and his family. Slipped into his statement was that he would like to give the next generation an opportunity to wear the Eagles’ colours.

His decision is surprising because he’s just 27. He’s supposed to be the leader of the new generation he’s stepping aside for. Many Nigerians his age would rather the political class step aside instead. For example, Sports Minister Solomon Dalung.

Dalung was the second reason Nigerian football was in the spotlight last week. It still is; the country’s teams may be banned from football activities by FIFA tomorrow.

Apparently, in a bid to keep pushing his preferred candidate as Nigeria Football Federation President, Dalung allegedly sent a request to FIFA to visit its Zurich headquarters with a 17 man delegation that included Chris Giwa, who is banned by FIFA.

Let’s just say Dalung was shut down by the football governing body and given a lesson in the right way to approach matters relating to Nigerian football, which is to go through the NFF president recognised by FIFA, Amaju Pinnick.

The sports minister’s misadventure led to

an appeal to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo: get rid of Dalung and save Nigeria the embarrassment. You can understand why Nigerians think this is an option. The Vice President’s sack former DSS honcho Lawal Daura penultimate week is still fresh in our minds.

And early last week, he followed it up with a directive for the infamous anti-robbery squad which went by the acronym SARS, to be overhauled. From reactions on Twitter however, this isn’t enough. They’ve been calling for the IGP’s sack too. ‘Overhaul’ is a nebulous word they argue. There’s probably some merit to the argument. Apparently, SARS still exists, but under a new acronym – FSARS.

On the plus side, the social media campaign to EndSARS certainly got loud enough for the presidency to notice. Another example of the power of social media to effect change. More please...

Meanwhile, the agenda that an effective Police Force goes beyond just clamping down on one of its units was pushed during the week when the VP’s wife and the wife of the president attended a conference on the role of Defence and Police Officers’ Wives in National Defence, Peace and Security. Really?

In what should be considered more important news, five Nigerian teenage girls won a major tech award despite their limited tech knowledge. It’s another reminder of the potential waiting to be unlocked in millions of Nigerian youths, if only they’re empowered.

On the subject of youth and their power, Davido is deploying his to help his uncle and Osun PDP win the governorship contest in the state. Despite “serious and damaging irregularities” in his documents, Senator Ademola Adeleke was cleared by a court to contest elections because he doesn’t need a certificate to prove he was educated to secondary school level. Wow! What’s the use of a certificate then?

You certainly don’t need one to understand what IK Osakioduwa did with his Toasting Tuesday example. You might need one to understand Assistant Commissioner of Police Yomi Shogunle, and his Sallah ram tweet.