Popular music video director TG Omori has defended TikTok influencer Peller after he was roundly criticized for asking Nigerians to stop participating in the trending 30 Days Rant Challenge.
The #30DaysInTheStreets challenge, which has been widely endorsed, dares Nigerians to express their anger at the economic hardship of their country for 30 consecutive days. Though most view it as a way of holding those in power accountable, Peller warned that excessive online protests would be interpreted as being offensive to the government and could even lead to a TikTok ban in Nigeria. He suggested switching to Instagram or conducting physical protests.
Peller’s comments sparked an angry debate. While some praised him about his fear of potential repercussions, others accused him of not caring as much about TikTok’s fate at the expense of Nigerians’ real suffering. The outcry became intense when someone on X (formerly Twitter) posted, “I hate this guy named Peller.”
TG Omori jumped to Peller’s defense, saying, “Hate is a strong word, He’s just a boy.” He reignited the controversy again, with some praising him for standing up for social media activist Peller and others arguing that the influencer did not deserve his opinion.
The controversy underlines the growing divide on social media activism in Nigeria, with some advocating for absolute free speech, while others are concerned about what comes next on social media protests.
