Opinion

Dan Bello Should Consider A Different Form Of Social Activism, Please

By Ibrahiym A. El-Caleel 

I genuinely understand and appreciate his passion to see Nigeria overcome its multidimensional socioeconomic challenges. However, when you make reports that independent parties can repeatedly confirm as inaccurate, then you need to reconsider.

I have never been a fan of Dan Bello, nor have I been his critic. But I found myself genuinely impressed when he demonstrated that just ₦4 million was enough to transform a dilapidated classroom into a modern one, the kind we usually only see in developed countries. After he personally funded the renovation of one such classroom, I thought to myself, No, this is an unprecedented level of activism in this country. He proved a powerful point: the billions of naira regularly looted by Nigerian public and civil servants could, in fact, transform this nation into something truly admirable. I was impressed. And if what Dan Bello is doing is what it takes to jolt our leaders into action, then so be it.

I kept quiet about his allegations against the JIBWIS leadership because, personally, neither the allegations nor the counterclaims sounded convincing to me. I struggled to find concrete evidence from either side, and I found none. The strongest arguments seemed to rest on sworn oaths suggesting something suspicious, and counter-oaths claiming that a reputable scholar could not possibly be involved, especially given his wealth. In the end, I felt it was best to remain silent. If a Muslim’s reputation is on trial, we cannot rely on weak evidence and mere oaths. I also felt it is dishonorable to deny the occurrence of something you cannot prove did not happen.

The hypocrites once placed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a difficult situation known as hadithat al-ifk, where his beloved wife and our mother, Ummuna Aisha (RAA), was falsely accused of immoral behavior. This caused immense pain to Ummuna Aisha, the Prophet, and the entire Muslim community for nearly a month. Ummuna Aisha was known for her excellent moral character. People knew that the accusation did not match her reputation, but when things like this happen, there must be evidence beyond reasonable doubt to prove innocence. Eventually, Allah Himself revealed verses 11 to 20 of Suratul Nur in the Qur’an to clear her of that filthy allegation. Therefore, it became evident that whoever doubts her innocence afterwards ceases to be a Muslim. That would mean doubting the Qur’an itself, and that makes the person a disbeliever. Outrightly a kafir. This was how Allah protected the image of His Prophet, the image of Aisha and the image of the community of the Muslims from these hypocrites. 

My main point is, when an accusation is made, there must be a solid and substantial response that proves the innocence of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Dan Bello, too, failed to come back with anything concrete to support his claims. Many people clearly told him there were a lot of mistakes and inaccuracies in what he presented. This includes even those who have no affiliations with JIBWIS. That alone shows that Dan Bello did not have solid evidence.

When I was unable to see anything tangible or substantial, I made up my mind that nothing happened. It is as though Dan Bello never made that video, and as though JIBWIS never responded. No accusation, no counter. Shaikh Abdullahi Lau remains exactly who he was to me before that video.

Today, Dan Bello released another video about the federal government allegedly selling expired rice from the COVID-19 palliatives at the cost of ₦40,000 to civil servants. I have seen many people respond to him, saying this is not true. They are among those who bought the rice and have confirmed that it is not expired. It is polished long grain rice, and they are enjoying it. This means this report is also faulty. Dan Bello once again failed to verify his facts properly. It is just another TikTok content, not serious investigative reporting.

Dan Bello should consider another approach to social activism. The inaccuracies are becoming too frequent. You lose credibility when you make obvious mistakes that put people’s reputations on the line. You become as reckless as the Nigerian leaders you seek to hold accountable. We support seeing public figures being held to account and urged to work toward fixing this country, but we cannot achieve that by lying about them or falsely accusing them of things they did not do. If this becomes the norm, they will stop taking you seriously. You will be seen as just another Kemi Olunloyo. People will begin to view you as a conspiracy theorist, or at best, an alarmist. You lose credibility. And in doing so, you make it harder for society to trust anyone again in the future.

If you cannot do investigative reporting properly, without slander, perhaps you should consider a different line of social activism altogether.