From Ballot Snatchers to Keyboard Mercenaries: The Rebranded Tragedy of Nigerian Media Aides
By PASSMAN AKPOS
Once upon a time, they were known by their rawness—the tugs, the street boys, the so-called “area boys.” They were the faceless enforcers of electoral violence, recruited to snatch ballot boxes, intimidate voters, and stain our democracy with the blood of innocent Nigerians. Back then, they were given guns, machetes, and a few thousand naira—to disrupt elections and silence dissenting voices.
Today, those same tools have changed shape.
The guns have become smartphones. The machetes have become memes. And the battlefield is no longer the polling unit—it is now Twitter (X), Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok. The tugs have been rebranded. They are now called “Media Aides.”
Let that sink in.
Once used to destroy elections physically, they are now used to destroy minds digitally. The same greed-driven politicians who once handed them weapons now hand them passwords. They no longer stuff ballot boxes; they stuff timelines with lies. They no longer chase voters with sticks; they chase truth with hashtags.
But let me speak directly to you—the so-called media aide reading this.—What will be your legacy?—Is your worth so small that you’ll trade your voice, your name, your future, and the dignity of your children for a peanut salary, a “used” car, or a rented apartment in a part of town you can’t even call home?
When you close your laptop at night after a long day of defending wickedness, does sleep come easily? When you publish tweets that twist reality and bury truth, do you think history will forget? When the politicians’ children are in Canada, London, and Dubai living in comfort, where will your own children be when the lies you helped spread collapse the very system they will grow up in?—You were not born to be a puppet.
You were not created to be the voice of oppression. You are bigger than a monthly allowance and fake titles. These politicians don’t see you as family—they see you as fuel. When you burn out, they will replace you without a second thought.
They don’t care about your future—they use you to secure theirs.
Let’s be honest…
You know the truth. You know the suffering is real. You know the fuel prices are killing the poor. You know the economy is in shambles. You know the insecurity is real. You know Nigerians are tired, broken, hungry, and angry. You know this, but you lie to them—daily. You gaslight them. You insult their intelligence. You silence their pain with propaganda.
Why?
Because someone gave you a tag: “Senior Special Assistant on Media.” You think it’s power, but it’s a leash. They praise you in public and mock you in private. They use you to lie to the masses, and when they’re done, they will toss you aside like the ones before you.
Do you not remember those before you?
Where are they now? Go ask around. The media aides from 2007, 2011, 2015—how many of them were retained? How many of them are rich today? How many of them can walk freely among the people without shame?—Yet here you are, repeating the same mistake, thinking your case will be different. It won’t.
You still have a chance.
You can still walk away. You can still redeem your voice. You can still choose truth over falsehood. You can still align yourself with justice, dignity, and posterity.
Because the internet never forgets—but neither does history.—Don’t be the reason your children are ashamed of your name tomorrow.
Don’t sell your soul for a politician who won’t attend your burial.
Choose legacy over loyalty. Choose truth over title. Choose Nigeria.
Before it’s too late.
Written in love, not hate. In truth, not bitterness. In hope, not despair.
I’M PASSMAN AKPOS
(The Militant with a pen)
