In this part of the world, the role of
the new age media cannot be over emphasized, especially in the aspect
of getting the necessary support of the masses on issues affecting the Nation.
It has become a platform where people lend their voices to effect change in the
society. And on this sphere, perception plays a major role in the way we react
to issues or do things on a daily basis.
Retrospectively, it’s no news that in
the history of striking actions in Nigeria, the 2012 NLC strike geared towards
the removal of fuel subsidy by the then president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,
hence, the increment in fuel pump price saw a major turnaround of events. The
strike which was widely accepted by the old, the young and even infants across
the country in a consolidated effort to fight for “dear” future as the case may
be, brought the daily activities of the country to a major standstill. Tens of thousands
of protesters marched through the country’s major cities to resist the policy
of the increase in fuel pump price, in order to alleviate the sufferings of the
masses.
Much couldn’t be said about the protest
without laying emphasis on the big role social media played.
What could have been said to have merely started as some random strings of
tweets or rants, moved on to the street in bigger pictures.
The celebrated Twitter hash tag
#OccupyNigeria was more than just a hash tag, it played out in words; Nigeria
was occupied .Social media channels were available to share
information, organise crowds, and report activities. It will suffice to mention
that the new media was at its best towards the success of the 2012
NLC strike. Social media became the platform for Nigerians to
vehicle their fundamental human rights to freedom of speech. The new age media was
alive as to tell the traditional media, it has come to stay.
Fast forward to the 9th of May
2016, news about the removal of fuel subsidy had gone round across the country
once more. Prices of things had gone up like airplanes in the sky, bringing
back the nostalgic feeling of January 2012. One would think the 2012 fuel
subsidy saga was about to play out again.
However, the social media sphere,
this time around kicked against any form of strike actions towards this fuel
subsidy removal, despite the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)
led by Mr. Ayuba Wabba had sworn to shut down the economic activities of the
country through protest.
The reason for this stance by the ever growing population on the social media sphere
is not farfetched, but one thing is so sure, that social media has
come to stay to represent the voice of the people; it has become a platform
where views are shared about major issues.
A lot of polls were conducted on the
Twitter space to ascertain the level of supports for this year’s protest
against the removal of fuel subsidy, but to say the acceptation of
the protest nosedived compared to the widely accepted protest that
started on Twitter in 2012 is saying the obvious .This, could have been a major
reason why the strike proposed by the NLC couldn’t see the light of day .
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