A one-day Social Media Listening Stakeholder Validation Meeting took place on Monday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, to mitigate online conflict drivers and engender peace-building efforts in communities in the Niger Delta.
At the presentation of the Social Media Listening Report by officials of Search for Common Ground, Nigeria, participants discussed the findings, which analysed emerging threats to the peace architecture in the region and determined the online influence of conflict entrepreneurs in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states who are increasingly utilising these platforms as a medium for spreading hate speech and divisive messages.
The report highlights the findings of August 2025, a social media listening exercise conducted under the Community Centred Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence (CRIN-VIN) in the Niger Delta project.
According to the findings from the report, illegal oil bunkering generated the highest number of mentions on Social Media platforms within the period of the study, between July 31 and August 12, 2025, with a total of 7,500 conversations, which reached 295 million people across the world, representing 50% of the total conversations.
The Social Media Analysis indicated that the platforms have been embraced by young people who feel disenchanted, hence an international peacebuilding and non-profit organization, Search for Common Ground through the Community Centered Approach to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta, conducted the research to seek ways to address the negative sentiments in the region over perceived injustice and lack of trust for political leaders which are sometimes expressed in violent confrontations against targeted government authorities.
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The Mass Media and Information Management Coordinator at Search for Common Ground, Mr Sunny Dada, who presented findings of the report, highlighted the need to redirect the attention of policymakers and key actors to address the root causes of illegal oil bunkering and other illicit activities in the area.
Earlier, the Mass Media and Information Management Officer, Mrs Folashade Seye-Ojo, gave an overview of the project, which aims to provide homegrown approaches in tackling drivers of violence and criminality in the region with a view to promoting social cohesion.
An Academic with the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Dr Charles Oyibo, who was part of the meeting, expressed the hope that contributions made by participants would be considered in the final report to stem the challenge of illegal oil bunkering.
Participants at the forum were drawn from civil society, academia, conventional media and social media.
