When rapper Ycee described the current wave of internet culture and casually dropped the phrase “Olodo Uprising” while talking about TikTok creator Peller, the internet did what it does best, picked sides.
Some people agreed immediately. Others felt attacked. A few even started defending the “olodos” like they had been elected as their spokesperson.
But beneath all the gbas gbos lies an uncomfortable question: has Nigeria reached a point where being unserious pays better than actually knowing something?
Don’t get us wrong, we love cruise. Nigeria would probably collapse without memes, banter and people doing the most online. But somewhere between “content creation” and “anything for views,” the line became blurry.
1. Foolishness Now Outperforms Quality
Someone spends three hours putting together a detailed video about free courses, scholarships, remote jobs and certifications that could literally change your life.
You scroll past it in 0.8 seconds.
Then you happily spend the next 15 minutes watching one guy mix eba with orange juice to prove “nothing can happen.”
Nothing happened to him.
Something definitely happened to your data.
The painful part is that tomorrow you’ll tweet, “Nigeria has no opportunities.”
Opportunities dey. Your big head just said, “No, thank you.”
The internet has become a place where nonsense spreads faster than knowledge. We scroll past content that could improve our lives, only to spend twenty minutes watching someone chase a goat because they heard it speaks in tongues.
2. Everybody Wants To Blow, Nobody Wants To Grow
These days, asking a child what they want to become when they grow up is risky.
“Doctor?”
“No.”
“Lawyer?”
“No.”
“Engineer?”
“No.”
“I wan trend.”
At this point, “going viral” has become a career plan.
People willingly embarrass themselves, their families, and sometimes their entire village just to trend.
You’ll see fully grown adults behaving like secondary school students, all because someone promised them followers.
As long as the comments section is active, mission accomplished.
Some people now wake up every morning asking themselves,
“How can I disgrace my entire bloodline today?”
3. We Celebrate Noise More Than Talent
There used to be things people did behind closed doors in the days of privacy.
Now?
Ring light on.
Camera rolling.
Three… two… one… ACTION!
You’ll see grown adults barking like dogs, eating toothpaste, proposing to strangers for content or dancing in the middle of moving traffic.
The comments?
“OMO! Content creator!”
Content creator ke?
Your ancestors are somewhere doing emergency family meetings.
4. We Clap Loudest For Noise
There was a time when not knowing something pushed people to learn.
Here’s the funny thing.
The internet isn’t allergic to smart people.
It just loves chaos a little bit more.
A teacher explains how to write a winning CV.
Two hundred views.
Meanwhile, somebody shouts into a camera, mispronounces five English words, starts an unnecessary online beef, and suddenly they’re everywhere.
Another confidently says Canada is in Ikorodu.
Two million views.
Then we wonder why misinformation spreads faster than actual information.
The algorithm didn’t force us.
We collectively said,
“Abeg, give us the nonsense first.”
5. Entertainment Is Good But….
Nobody is saying every post on the internet should become a classroom.
Imagine opening TikTok and the first video is someone teaching thermodynamics.
You’ll close the app yourself.
Entertainment is part of Nigerian culture.
Cruise is our second national language.
The problem starts when foolishness becomes the quickest route to success.
When acting clueless earns more applause than actually being knowledgeable, the message to young people becomes dangerously clear:
“Don’t bother learning anything. Just make people laugh.”
Hereās the Gist
Perhaps Ycee wasn’t declaring an “Olodo Uprising.”
Perhaps he was simply describing the times.
The internet rewards whatever we choose to celebrate. If we keep giving our attention to nonsense, we shouldn’t be shocked when nonsense keeps showing up on our timelines.
By all means, enjoy the cruise.
Laugh.
Share memes.
Until we begin rewarding substance with the same energy we reward spectacle, the “Olodo Uprising” may not just be a joke.
It may become the new normal.
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