The Soft Issue
Cover
August 2017
never started this whole slap issue. I think that’s the
only thing I wished I never did.”
The blogger relies on rumour and WhatsApp gist for
most of her stories. Her other sources include top
officials on the university campus and student union
executives and other news sites, especially those with
national acclaim. Although, she would take extra pain
to confirm the veracity of the event, this only occurs
after she has posted it. This pretty much explains
why she has been embroiled in lots of controversies.
“There is no SU, I had no relationship with. So I think
it's [my] personality. If you are this free person and
someone people can actually trust. Then people will
be ready to give you information. So far they are sure
you are not going to misuse it.”
On controversial stories, Olorundare believes that
"Controversy is what actually helps you as a media
person. It's what put your name out there. If you don’t
have controversial story people won’t really talk about
your blog."
of Engineering and said I was going to face Students
Disciplinary Committee (SDC). And I am in 400level, I
wouldn't dare tell my parents what just happened, I was
just there crying."
The news that the young blogger would face the SDC
started to make rounds. This was unpropitous: pig had to fly
for one to win a case versus the SDC. At this stage she only
had her friends to rely on. She began to tinker with the idea
of quitting. Did she face SDC?
"I was still told to carry the grande finale of the whole issue.
Other bloggers were carrying the stories from my blog
(on campus) and outside were carrying the news from my
blog; the school was like I was selling bad stories about
the school out there. I was tired, but they settled the whole
issue, they made it that I had to be free from anything, for
them to settle the whole issue and I was not facing SDC,
that was it."
On the left side of your browser, you will see the list of her
top stories. BREAKING! Sub Dean of Engineering Slaps
SU President. The story screams at you sensationally. One
peculiar thing about all her top stories is the fact that they
are all stories that have put the school administration in a
defensive position. This is such that they now wait for her to
blog about them so that they can in turn “react” to the story
and tell their own side of the story when possible. However,
she regrets ever putting up the slap story so much that
while she is talking about it there is an obvious tinge of
disgust in her voice. “There was a time I actually wished I
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On matters of reportage, Olorundare does not care
whose Ox is gored. As long as the incident has
happened, it is going live. "Anywhere I go most of the
top officials, will ask, hope we are safe? Because if
any story happens even if they don't want it to go out
there, so far I know it is balanced, I put it out there
and if the story is not balance, I will come back to you,
then I will still put [your side of the story] out there
too. One thing they know me for, is even if they don't
want it to go out, I put it out."
For this reason, she is gradually becoming known as
a character assassinator, than a blogger. "Someone
even told me that, we have to start getting scared of
you because, we heard that you are always out there
to spoil people's name and look for something bad
about people, they have turn me to type of person."
In spite of all this, they cannot just leave her alone;
she is both their nemesis and their go-to pe rson
whenever they needed to get words out.
Ladesignatory is aware of the tendency of people to
use the media to their advantage. She is not willing to
be a pawn to such people. She recounts the story of
a boy who had texted her that he wanted to drop out
of school. He was a 400L student who had a relatively
good grade. Olorundare thought this would make
for a fantastic headline: Meet the 400L Student that
wants to Drop out of School. “I realised that even the
guy he hadn't quit school yet, or he just wanted was
attention.”
The young blogger is on the eve of her finals. She
would be leaving the university soon. Because of this,
her blog is no longer a one-man team. So, if you think
Ladesignatory is not there, look behind you, those
eyes you are seeing apparently belong to one of her
team members. Lade has found her audience and
she is willing to satisfy them at any cost.
the
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