NairaLand founder, Seun Osewa apologizes to Igbos following advert made on his page

• Seun apologizes to the Igbos via his website, over a political advert that was made on his page.

• As a means to further express his regret, Seun promises to double the N16K made from the ad and donate to victims of “political violence in Lagos.”

The founder of NairaLand, Seun Osewa apologizes to the Igbos over an advert placed on his platform concerning the just-concluded elections.

Seun apologizes to the Igbos via his website, over a political advert that was made on his page. The advert stated, “Lagos can never be run from Anambra; go and vote.”

He insists that his platform should have had a “clear policy” against such misleading adverts. As a means to further express his regret, Seun promises to double the N16K made from the ad and donate to victims of “political violence in Lagos.”

Seun wrote:

“Seun Osewa 1 I Zr @seunosewa
An Apology To The Igbo People Of Nigeria by Seun(m): 3:39 pm
Dear Igbo People,
I sincerely apologize for allowing a toxic political banner advert that said, “Lagos can never be run from Anambra; go and vote” to run on Nairaland for several hours on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
The mischievously worded banner advert appears to have been part of an ethnically divisive political campaign aimed at securing Lagos State for the ruling party by instilling fear in Yoruba people, making them believe that Igbo people intended to “take over” Lagos State.

Such ethnically divisive political campaigns have no place in a forward-thinking democracy, and for this reason, the ad should have been taken down instantly. No harm was intended, but my lack of forethought about the ethics of that type of advert led to a disappointing outcome.

We should have had a clear policy against accepting negative and ethnically divisive ads on Nairaland, we should have communicated it to all advertisers, and we should have taken down any advert that violated that policy instantly. This will all be in place before the next election.
We made almost N16,000 from the ad. We will double it and donate it to victims of political violence in Lagos.
Please, do NOT give up on Nigeria. The times are challenging, but TOGETHER, we will overcome.
Sincerely, Seun Osewa.”