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The recent visit of American YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed to Nigeria should have been a straightforward cultural moment: a global influencer experiencing the country, interacting with its people and broadcasting that experience to millions of followers. Instead, his tour triggered a wave of hostile and embarrassing commentary online. Nigerians were among the loudest voices discouraging him, warning him about insecurity, mocking local conditions and aggressively portraying the country as a place no sensible person should visit.
What was most striking was not criticism from outsiders but the enthusiasm with which some Nigerians joined in amplifying the worst possible image of their own country. Before any foreign media could distort the narrative, our own social media space had already done the job. This pattern has become familiar: every opportunity to tell a balanced Nigerian story is hijacked by voices determined to sell only failure.
This same reflex was evident during the public reaction to the road accident involving Nigerian-British boxing star Anthony Joshua and the tragic loss of two of his associates. Beyond the human sorrow of the incident, what followed was a rush to weaponize the tragedy against Nigeria and, more specifically, against the administration of President Bola Tinubu. A road accident was quickly repackaged as evidence of a failed state.
There is nothing uniquely Nigerian about road mishaps. Athletes, celebrities, and ordinary citizens have lost their lives in traffic accidents across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. A famous footballer died in Spain due to overspeeding. Princess Diana died in a car crash in France. In neither case was the tragedy turned into a permanent indictment of those countries or their governments. Yet in Nigeria, every unfortunate event is treated as a branding opportunity for national self-sabotage.
This is where criticism crosses the line into something more damaging. Legitimate opposition to President Tinubu does not require the continuous remarketing of Nigeria as ungovernable, unsafe, and hopeless. When critics collapse the distinction between holding a government accountable and actively discouraging tourism, investment, and goodwill, they stop being critics and start functioning as adversaries of the state itself.
Social media has given everyone a megaphone, but it has also stripped many of context, proportion, and restraint. Some bloggers and commentators now thrive on extreme negativity, repackaging every incident as a “typical Nigerian story.” This is not activism. It is reputational vandalism. The damage does not stop with the government; it extends to businesses, artists, students, and ordinary citizens whose lives depend on Nigeria being seen as a viable place to engage with.
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Anthony Joshua’s decision to spend time in Nigeria with his family after a major career victory was, in itself, a quiet endorsement of the country.
IShowSpeed’s visit was another chance to project culture, humor, and resilience. Turning such moments into spectacles of self-loathing sends a clear message to the world: Nigerians are their own harshest and most reckless critics.
Elections are cyclical. Governments change. Political power rotates. But the country remains. Those still bitter about the outcome of the last general election should remember that 2027 will come. What must not happen before then is the deliberate erosion of Nigeria’s image in the global marketplace of ideas, tourism, and capital.
Patriotism does not mean silence in the face of problems. It means responsibility in how those problems are discussed. A nation cannot be rebuilt by people who profit from constantly tearing it down.
• Ayodeji is an author, speaker and
counsellor. He can be reached on 09059243004 (SMS only)
