Don't Trend For The Wrong Reasons

It was one of those Lagos evenings when traffic had drained all the energy out of the city. Tunde and I finally escaped the madness and settled at a small café tucked beside a busy road in Victoria Island. The place was buzzing, filled with people unwinding after work, some with laptops open, others scrolling endlessly on their phones. Soft Afrobeats floated from the speakers, blending with the clink of cutlery and quiet laughter from nearby tables. I had my usual order in front of me, a steaming cup of pure black coffee, no sugar, no cream, just strong and sharp the way I liked it. Tunde, on the other hand, leaned back with a chilled bottle of soda sweating in his hand. We often joked that my coffee made me sound like an old philosopher while his soda kept him sounding like a hypeman. Halfway into our gist, Tunde shook his head, slid his phone across the table and said: Tunde: “Guy, see wetin don trend again. That babe, Amina. You don watch the video?” On the screen, the clip was already everywhere. Amina, red with anger, shouting at a danfo conductor, waving money like a flag, and throwing insults. By the time I scrolled through, blogs had already spun their headlines: “Lagos Lady Disgraces Herself Over Bus Fare.” The comments were brutal. I took a sip of my coffee, bitter but steady, and sighed. Me: “You see why I dey always talk say, don’t trend for the wrong reasons? One careless moment, and her whole name don scatter.” Tunde: “But na just vex. Everybody dey vex sometimes.” I leaned back in my chair, watching cars crawl past the café window. The truth is, Amina wasn’t a bad person. In her area, people knew her as a helper. She volunteered at her church, supported her younger siblings with school fees, and was even saving to start a small business. But now, one shaky video was rewriting her entire story. Me: “Yes, vex dey. But see, one reckless action can cancel years of good work. The Bible talk am clear: ‘A good name is to be chosen rather than riches, and favor better than silver or gold’ (Proverbs 22:1). A person fit hustle all their life, but one mistake go fit stain the name they worked to build.” Tunde: “Hmm. So you dey talk say person suppose swallow pride, even when e pain?” I stirred my coffee slowly, the steam rising into my face. Me: “That’s exactly it. Fame wey disgrace build no dey last. It is better make nobody notice you than for everybody to know you for wrong thing. Jesus even talk am: ‘Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5:16). Your good should be what trends, not your anger.” Tunde took a long sip of his soda, the fizz echoing in the quiet pause. Around us, a couple at the next table were laughing loudly at something on their phone, probably the same viral video. The café felt like a small reflection of Lagos itself: everyone watching, everyone talking, everyone quick to judge. Tunde: “The pressure too much, my guy. Social media dey push people to prove point, especially when eyes dey on you.” Me: “That’s the trap. We dey busy impressing people instead of impressing God. You trend today, forgotten tomorrow, but the stain no dey wash easily. This is the season to check ourselves. We’ve chased clout more than character, platforms more than purpose. At the end of the day, na your name go follow you everywhere. Protect it. Return to truth, return to righteousness, return to love.” Tunde exhaled, running his hand over his soda bottle. Tunde: “You dey talk sense. Better to be quiet with integrity than loud with disgrace.” I smiled, lifting my cup of strong black coffee, bitter but steady, and said: Me: “Exactly. Shine your light, my guy. But shine it for the right reasons.”

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