PUNCH

The Chairman of non-profit organisation, Anap Foundation, Atedo Peterside, has advised social media influencers in the country to be responsible in their engagement with their followers.

He was reacting to the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in the last two weeks major championed by social media influencers.

Peterside cautioned social media influencers to seek political knowledge and mentoring to lead their followers aright.

The 65-year-old, who spoke Friday on Arise TV The Morning Show programme monitored by The PUNCH, said the youths should start mobilising for political powers and take back Nigeria in 2023.

Peterside said, “They keep on saying they don’t have leaders but you must have influencers. I’ll give you an example. These things are scientific.

“Nowadays you can go to Instagram and somebody has five million followers. He is an influencer. You go to Twitter, somebody has eight million followers, he is an influencer.

“Now, those influencers should be careful. People followed you originally for music or for something else or for films. If they (social media influencers) want to become politically active, they must be responsible because a wrong tweet from them can prove violence. I hope they have understood that now.

“That large followership comes with a responsibility.

“And I keep on begging them, please, engage, not just the government, go and look for mentors. For men as an investment banker historically, If I wanted to get involved in a sector, I went to find those in that sector who had more experience than me in that sector.

“Don’t confuse that you have 10,000 followers that you know everything because you don’t.

“They have power but they must now apply control because power without control is dangerous.”