A teachable moment for the data boys, by Babafemi Ojudu

“Democracy thrives on choice, dissent, and accountability. Not everyone must chant the same chorus — a society where every voice is expected to sing only praise is not democratic; it is authoritarian.”

– On the danger of digital thuggery and the ignorance of democratic principles

Some intolerant children of ignorance have recently invaded my Facebook page and direct messages to hurl insults at me. Their offense? That I failed to praise their “god” — the President — in a simple, innocuous piece where I commended the Minister of Works for the remarkable progress being made on the Abuja–Lokoja highway.

Anyone who has travelled that road over the last 15 years will testify to the horror it has been. It has been a corridor of carnage — daily fatalities, billions lost in goods from overturned trucks, and endless human suffering. The road’s deterioration became invisible to many top officials, some of whom now rely on private jets or chartered flights, never experiencing what ordinary citizens endure. I once spent 18 hours stranded there due to an accident that blocked both lanes. I saw grief, frustration, and suppressed rage. I saw a pregnant woman deliver her child by the roadside. I saw ambulances with patients, and even hearses with the dead, stuck in the same traffic. The indignity was total.

So yes, I praised the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for addressing this tragedy. He is reconstructing the road using concrete rather than the usual asphalt — a method I observed him use effectively during his tenure as governor of Ebonyi State. I saw a pattern in his work, and I acknowledged it. That, apparently, was enough to invite digital hell from the so-called “Data Boys.”

Now, who are the Data Boys? They are mostly young men — poorly educated, some not at all — equipped with cheap phones, minimal stipends, and just enough data to troll and attack anyone who dares voice an independent opinion. If they suspect you didn’t vote for the President or once preferred a different candidate, you’re marked for harassment. They twist your words, weaponize ignorance, and swarm your page like locusts. Many run multiple accounts under different names, launching coordinated attacks to silence patriotic Nigerians who dare to speak out about the state of our nation.

These tactics have forced many to withdraw from public discourse, choosing silence over the venom of these irritable ants. Their anger at me, in this case, is that I praised the Minister rather than the President. “You hate the President,” they cry. “That Minister couldn’t have done anything without the President’s genius!” As though there were no ministers in the past — who were given huge budgets for that same road and delivered nothing.

Some accuse me of bitterness from a lost primary election. Others recall that I once said I would return to my farm if the President won — as though that invalidates my concern as a politician , former Senator and journalist of repute for a major public infrastructure.

Here’s what these misguided youths — and more importantly, their handlers — need to understand: Democracy thrives on choice, dissent, and accountability. The beauty of democracy lies in the freedom to praise where it’s due and criticize when necessary. Not everyone must chant the same chorus. A society where every voice is expected to sing only praise is not democratic — it is authoritarian.

An intelligent image manager would have seized the opportunity my piece presented: a known critic — and member of the same party — offering genuine praise for a government initiative. That is what good PR does. It builds bridges, not walls. It highlights progress in unlikely places. Instead, these handlers have allowed the President’s reputation to be dragged through the mud by semi-literate trolls armed with data and bile.

Meanwhile, billions are voted for image-making and communication. Yet, we see no coherent effort to spotlight the government’s real achievements, like the concrete transformation of the Abuja–Lokoja road. Instead, we see only the crudest form of propaganda: insults, abuse, and blind praise.

Why must everyone be a sycophant to be seen as patriotic? I posted that piece to encourage the Minister. There have been many Works Ministers before Umahi, and most did nothing about that death trap. If he is changing that, and it aligns with what I observed during his time in Ebonyi, why not commend him?

In fact, when the President appointed his cabinet, I publicly predicted that two of his appointees — Dave Umahi and the Minister of Health, Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate — would excel. Umahi is proving me right. I’m still observing the Health Minister for validation.

But I am not surprised by the venom of the Data Boys. As I’ve said before, a child who wakes his father each morning with a kick to the groin won’t hesitate to slap someone else’s father. These boys need direction, education, and a better understanding of the values of democracy. And their handlers must be told: if you’re tasked with image-making, do it with strategy, substance, and intelligence. Not with venom, vulgarity, and virtual thuggery.

Ta ba rán ni’se erù, a fi je t’omo je — even when you’re given the work of a slave, do it with the dignity of a free born