The following are the views expressed by Olufemi Oguntokun in the July 1, 2026 episode of the On the Lord’s Side Podcast — Christian perspectives on news and current events.
ON THE OLODO UPRISING
Good morning to you once again. It is Wednesday, the first of July 2026.
I want to begin this morning with a discourse that has been engaging many people in Nigeria on X — the “Olodo Uprising.” You have to understand Yoruba to grasp what that cultural term is saying. “Olodo” is the Yoruba word for the dull, the unintelligent, the academically poor, the clueless person — essentially a fool or an underperformer in school or in intellect. It is primarily Yoruba, but it now functions almost as Nigerian pidgin. If someone in Nigeria calls you olodo, they are saying you are dull, unintelligent, academically poor, or clueless about a particular thing. It is an insult, whichever way you look at it — don’t hit back at the person, but know that much.
So this “Olodo Uprising” has become a viral Nigerian social-media discourse, primarily on X. The expression gained massive traction in June 2026 after the rapper Ycee used it on a podcast, referencing one of the most popular TikTokers in Nigeria, Peller — reflecting on Peller’s popularity and the wealth he gained from being one of the best-known TikTokers from Nigeria. Ycee said Peller is emblematic of the “Olodo Uprising” culture, and that got many people reflecting. I am not going to enter the cultural war among the celebrities and influencers over whether Peller should be classified as part of the Olodo Uprising or not — leave the personalities aside. Even intellectuals are now taking a second look at the phenomenon itself.
I spoke about “olodo”; let me address the “uprising.” The uprising means the olodos are on the ascendancy in the culture — that the culture now rewards, with fame, money and influence, especially on social media, people who fit that description. That is a cultural shift: such figures are not just tolerated but massively rewarded. There was a time when the clueless, unintelligent, academically poor person was not only sidelined but ridiculed. “Olodo” was used to say: who will employ this olodo? Who will have anything to do with this olodo? Who will marry this olodo? Who will vote for this olodo? But the discourse on X now points to a cultural shift: that is no longer the case. The dull, the academically poor, the clueless person could well be the one the culture rewards with fame, money, influence, perhaps even political office. And in Nigeria, I doubt many would deny that even in our polity we reward people who are not known for intelligence, perception or depth.
Many say it is social media — that the algorithms of these platforms reward people who do all sorts of things. Recently I came across a video of a lady, well put together, clearly having put effort into looking good; the video came on, and she said, in that comical, attention-grabbing way, “Hey, I want to tell you something — have you noticed that men who are bald tend to be this and that?” — and then it ended. And I reflected: if you look at the number of people who liked and shared that video, it is basically empty nonsense. But that is the kind of thing that goes viral, because of the algorithm. The algorithm is how the platforms are configured — the rules the creators designed to promote or de-promote content. I have always said on this podcast that we must understand that it is a capitalist world, and the owners of these platforms are in business. They are not there merely to help us connect. That may well be a value society gains, but their business case is compelling only as long as people keep using the platforms — and people keep using them only as long as they are engaged. And what is more engaging than mere entertainment, even entertainment that does not appeal to the intellect, or that, as some argue, tends to reduce one’s intellectual capacity?
So people say social media is configured such that those who can create sensational, low-barrier content will thrive. And it is so true. Try starting a series that discusses intellectually deep matters and see how far you get in building an audience; some have, but compare their numbers with those who built substantial audiences churning out low-barrier, sensational content. Others point to a shift in our aspirations. People used to aspire to scholarship, to real careers; but because society stopped rewarding those, fewer aspire to them. It used to be the “Yahoo” culture — the culture in which many youths were only interested in scamming people online, for which Nigeria got a very bad name; among law-enforcement agencies in the US and Europe, Nigerians became noted as “Yahoo boys.” So people say it is no longer the Yahoo culture but the Olodo Uprising culture, where people found you could make fantastic money on social media, and the platforms themselves promote low-barrier, sensational content. Some say this is rooted in corruption and policy failures in Nigeria, and other such rationalisations.
But how do we, on the Lord’s side, engage with a culture like this — a culture that is essentially the celebration of ignorance, the elevation of shallow viral content and raw entertainment over substance, discernment and diligent learning? It is a clear manifestation of what Scripture diagnoses as the folly of a fallen world. For us trying to be biblically faithful, we see this not primarily as a Nigerian problem — it is not — but as a universal outworking of the total depravity of man. Social media has merely amplified it. The Bible has spoken much about this. Romans 1:25 says humanity exchanges the truth of God for a lie. So when you come across this discourse, you must see from a biblical perspective that the Olodo Uprising is simply something now given a captivating name; the reality is not new, not merely Nigerian, and the Bible diagnosed it long ago. Unredeemed humanity exchanges the knowledge of God for lies.
Second, Jesus spoke of the broad way and the narrow way. In Matthew 7, He said the narrow gate leads to a narrow, difficult road, and only a few find it; but the broad gate and broad way, which many travel, leads to destruction. It is important to understand from the outset that this is the state of the unregenerate human mind — mankind, unregenerate, wants to follow the crowd. The fallenness in us says: where there are thousands and millions, that is where you should be; but where there are only two or three, that cannot be success. Yet Jesus said the narrow gate leads to life. As Hosea said, “My people are destroyed because they have rejected knowledge.” The Bible has told us these things, and we must apply them to our own Christian lives. How? By being sure that we are not part of the Olodo Uprising culture — the culture that does not want to prioritise knowledge or the acquisition of knowledge, that does not want to study anything as long as it is appealing and entertaining. The Bible says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” And we have observed this in the Christian community: many prefer the entertaining part of worship — the praises, singing and worship that, while not meant as entertainment, do excite the senses and make you jump for joy — to the study of Scripture. Many prefer prayer meetings, where they pray for themselves and things dear to them, which engages their attention; but when it comes to the study of the Word of God, so that they are more grounded, only very few devote attention to it.
So when we hear of this Olodo Uprising, it cannot be a diagnosis for us — the diagnosis has already been done in the Bible. We cannot be taken aback by surprise; it has always been the case. The Bible said humanity will always choose lies over the knowledge of God, and that in the last days people will gather to themselves speakers and preachers who will entertain them, having no interest in the truth. The name now given to it in Nigerian culture should simply serve as a reminder — and lead us to reflect on the importance of pursuing godly wisdom diligently, and of discernment in media and culture. If the algorithms and the culture now promote the olodos, should that not remind us to carefully choose whom we follow and whose content we consume, before we become olodos ourselves? For what happens to the person who constantly listens to an olodo? He becomes an olodo too. If the olodos are on the ascendancy and you are a devoted follower of them, do not deceive yourself — you will soon find yourself in the company of the olodos.
We must be humble, though. We are not saying everyone doing well for themselves on social media is an olodo — that is not the point; the point is discernment. There are many offering real value on the internet who are on the ascendancy too. So the most important thing is discernment. This discourse is a reminder to the Christian to be more discerning in what he consumes, and not to forsake the things that matter. Because of the compelling nature of these platforms, not many people have time any longer for diving deep into the study of the Word of God; they may want to, but so many things engage their attention. We have to be disciplined, intentional — to use another culturally popular term — about shutting out the things that distract us; to use the biblical expression from Hebrews 12, the things that so easily beset us. And we must impress this on our children: that substance is found through the in-depth study of the Word of God, and through the study of disciplines as well.
Just before I leave this, I came across a post credited to Elon Musk, reputed to be the richest man in the world, discussing ancient civilisations. He noted that the ancient Egyptians built the amazing pyramids, which to this day challenge modern man — how did they build them without our equipment and technology? People ask the same of ancient Rome and its aqueducts, still standing, though the people around them now carry water and no one remembers how they were built. Musk said: “You look at great civilisations like ancient Egypt, and they were able to make the pyramids, yet they forgot how to do that. And the Romans built this incredible aqueduct, yet they forgot how to do it. No army invaded them. The knowledge just stopped getting used, and the moment it did, it was gone.” And this is exactly the point. As people abandon the diligent study of the Word of God, and of substantive disciplines, in favour of well-entertaining, immediately rewarding pursuits on social media — and as they pass this on to their children — the knowledge will fade from that society. As people content themselves with bits of biblical knowledge here and there — a three-minute clip by this pastor, a three-minute clip by that evangelist, a few WhatsApp-status devotionals — abandoning that deposit of deep study will lead to the erosion of knowledge. A time may come when people simply do not know any more, because they have not been studying. That is one of the most concerning potential consequences of the Olodo Uprising: a society that rewards the olodos will not produce people who devote themselves to the study that leads to substantive knowledge and the ability to create new things. We should not be surprised — look at how the civilisations of Egypt and Rome collapsed, how their people eventually could not do what their forefathers did. If we ourselves, even those of us on the Lord’s side, do not intentionally disengage from the Olodo Uprising culture and give ourselves to the study it disdains, we may find ourselves one day not knowing even a quarter of what those before us knew. And that would be a shame.
I know that neither you nor I can single-handedly change the culture. But I have a senior friend on my estate who always says, “Femi, just do your own bit.” To look at the culture and ask, “What can we do?” is self-defeating. Do your own bit, and do it right. As the hymn says, “Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone, dare to have a purpose true, dare to make it known.” There is an Olodo Uprising culture in Nigeria, and everywhere in the world; I may not be able to change it, but I am not going to be part of it. I think that is a good start.
ON CLEAN STADIUMS AND PRIVATE LIVES
Next, a fascinating story reported by the BBC on Instagram, with pictures of Japanese fans at the ongoing World Cup in the United States — doing what? Cleaning up the stadium. For years, Japanese football fans have won praise for tidying stadiums at World Cup matches. After the match, the fans go around picking up debris and dirt, leaving the place spotless — something quite strange to many people in the West, and I dare say in Nigeria too. This variant of the beautiful game is shining a light on Japanese culture — and, as it turns out, on gender roles. After Japan’s match against the Netherlands in Dallas, Texas, fans picked up every scrap of litter, leaving the stands spotless — a tradition rooted in deep cultural values. International praise poured in, as it always does; this is not the first World Cup at which Japanese fans have been applauded worldwide, precisely because it is strange to many cultures.
When I was a boy I read a short story that stayed with me — I thank God for the many books I read — titled “Everybody’s Business Is Nobody’s Business.” It was about a town where a huge stone found its way onto the main road, causing great inconvenience to people navigating their carriages. The king observed that, though everyone was inconvenienced, nobody ever stopped to carry the stone away; they simply steered around it. He saw the same on many roads — nobody would do the simple, easy thing of removing the stones. So he made an announcement: it is everybody’s duty; if you find a stone obstructing the way, step down for a minute or two, carry it away, and you will have done so much good for everyone. Yet nobody did. Then one day he called a man and said, “Go and lift that stone.” The man lifted it and found underneath it coins so valuable that everyone in the city began to say, “I wish I had done that.” And the moral is: everybody’s business is nobody’s business.
That is the kind of thinking that defines the culture in the West and in many parts of Africa. “I’m just a fan who attended a match — how can it be my duty to clean the stadium? Was I the one who threw the litter?” In Nigeria or Lagos, if you tried to encourage anyone to do it, the person would say, “Are you okay? Am I the one who put it there? Don’t you know people are paid to do this?” So Japanese fans have always been praised for going around after matches, picking up every scrap of litter, leaving the stands spotless. But here is the shift in the story. These Japanese fans — mostly men — are receiving praise all over the world; people are saying, “Look at the Japanese fans; let us learn to be like them.” And yet one Japanese woman at home engaged with the story and wrote: “Japanese men — pitch in more at home.” Because, according to those who study these things, Japanese men rank very low among highly developed countries in the amount of time they spend on housework. So while Japanese men are celebrated abroad for leaving stands spotless, at home they rank among the lowest in developed nations for time spent on housework — and Japanese women, watching their men celebrated worldwide, are saying, “Thank you for making us proud over there; but pitch in more at home, do more to keep the house clean.” And “pitch in more at home” has itself now gone viral.
The Scripture calls us to an integrated faith. Jesus washed His disciples’ fe