15/03/2026
Nation
I want to speak on something that happened on the 13th of March, and I hope this message reaches the people it needs to reach.
This is not coming from hate. This is coming from concern.
Social media today has a lot of influencers showing generosity — helping people with money, surprising strangers, giving back to the community. And when it's genuine, that kind of content can inspire millions.
But the question we must ask ourselves is this: are we uplifting people… or are we turning poverty into entertainment?
At the event that happened at Sh*tta Roundabout in Surulere, many talented people and small business owners showed up. People who wear many hats in life — creators, hustlers, artisans, vendors, dreamers. Some even left their businesses for the day hoping to be part of something meaningful.
There were breastfeeding mothers in the crowd. There were people who brought the very tools they use to survive — the equipment that feeds their families.
But what many experienced there did not feel empowering.
Tools were taken as part of what seemed like a game. Raffles were done that felt more like mockery than opportunity. People stood in the sun for hours hoping something positive would happen.
Some of us even faced aggressive crowd control. I personally was pushed and whipped with an electric cable by a soldier trying to control the crowd.
And it makes you wonder…
Is this the kind of “help” that truly respects people’s dignity?
Influence is powerful. Millions of young people watch and learn from it.
So when generosity becomes content, we must be careful that we are not accidentally turning the struggles of everyday people into a spectacle.
Helping people should leave them better than we met them — not embarrassed, not used, and definitely not leaving with less than they came with.
This message is not to attack anyone. It is to remind everyone with influence:
Real generosity uplifts.
Real generosity restores dignity.
Real generosity does not make the vulnerable feel like props in a show.
We can do better. And we should.
Because the people in those crowds are not content.
They are human beings trying to survive.
