By Prof. Abdallah Uba Adamu
They were both young boys, although one seems slightly older. From March to May 2025 they captured the attention and interests of Hausaphone social media in their radically different approaches to digital media visibility. In the process, they provide a template or a script to the future of the engagement of youth in the public culture and demonstrate the power of agency.
Taranding in an open cesspool (Kabiru Isma’il, Kano)
The first was Kabiru Isma’il, better known as Kabeer2pac (apparently a fan of the late American rapper, 2Pac Shakur), who had 1.8m followers, with 15.1m likes on his TikTok account, which prominently displays his phone number (or that of his agent) for advertising purposes. His early videos clocked in millions of views. His most famous video, in which he shakes the dust off his body and jacket, has earned 51 million views. He devised two strategies to achieve this fame.
His first videos were posted on during the 2025 Ramadhan on 19 and 20th March 2025. In the videos, he was recorded immersed in a stagnant open cesspool of household waste water (kwatami), dunking himself in it and smearing the sediments on his face. The videographer asked for his motives, and he replied he was doing so to “tarand” (trend) because he yearns for fame (ɗaukaka). He affirms he was not a lunatic. The video had 2.6 million views. He further explained that he resorted to this because his earlier attempts at trending were unsuccessful.
On 3rd April 2025 he switched from cesspool contents smearing to getting a sack of charcoal dust dumped on his head – which earned the video 14.8 million views. By then his fame was spreading because the coaldust video he posted two days later earned him 51 million views. His videos attracted Gwanki Travels and Tours International Ltd in Kaduna who invited him and offered him a free ticket to perform the less Hajj, Umrah. Beaming with happiness, Kabeer2pac declared his gratitude that he has achieved the fame he sought, and has “taranded” very well. Of course Gwanki also trended because they were riding on his coat-tail, as it were, to advertise their services.
Reaction to Kabeer2pac’s fame and fortune were varied, but predictable. Most commentators were happy for him, and took umbrage at any view that condemns his behavior as unhealthy and unbecoming. Some Muslim clerics condemned him. Others were against the money spent on his Umrah, arguing that he is young, and the money should be invested in either a trade or his education. His behavior led to copycat copying.
Quite soon after has started trending, copycats appeared in various guises, including a cesspool girl, from dousing themselves with petrol to set fire on themselves, to having cement blocks banged on their head, to immersing themselves in a stagnant pool of waste water. In one case a young boy entered a soak away— all in their desire to “tarand” and possibly also get a free Umrah ticket.
In an RFI video interview posted on 16th April 2025, Kabeer 2pac did admit that his the possibility that his social media celebrity status is likely to be short-lived as he understands that people will soon get bored with his antics and switch to something else. But for the period he was trending, he was happy with the endorsements he received as well as his branching out into comedies and short dancing skits in his trademark winter jacket.
He has accurately anticipated the ephemeral nature of his antics. About two years ago, others who trended, and quickly faded away, were even more famous, and established what I can “celebrification culture”. The first was Ale Rufa’i Bullgates who came up with his own currency, “Gangalion”. He was followed by Ale Umar Bush, whose specialty was foul-mouthing everyone around him. Each was given a social media celebrity status – private jets, fancy meals, endorsement deals by fancy local merchants. Ale Umar Bush seemed to have a Middle-Eastern “girlfriend”. People clearly mocked their mental health, and turned them into theater. That was probably why Kabeer2pac prefaced his first video by proclaiming that he was not mad.
What motivates people to watch grisly events as lookie-loos, whether on screen or in physical spaces? Kabeer2pac’s audience call be called voyeuristic audiences or spectator audiences. They are fascinated by odd or outlandish behavior because it provides novelty, entertainment, and sometimes a sense of shock or disbelief. Such content often triggers curiosity, amusement, or even a desire to share with others due to its unconventional nature.
Trending Young Dangote (Sadiq Usman Ahmed, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna)
In contrast to Kabeer2pac, Sadiq was a street hawker in Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna, whom somone tagged Young Dangote. His nickname refers to the Hausa business mogul, Aliko Dangote, the richest Black man in the world at the time. He was discovered by Anwar Textiles Ltd at a traffic stop in Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna, on 18th May 2025 when the young lad,who looks about 13 years old was hawking car fresheners.
Intrigued, the videographer asked how he started the business. Beaming an incredibly infectious smile (alone enough to make you buy his ware, even if you had no intention of doing so), he said he started with ₦300 with which he used to buy cotton buds for ₦50 and sold for ₦70-₦100, before moving to products he purchased for ₦350, selling at ₦500, happy with whatever profit he made. Gradually his capital reached ₦5,000, then ₦1000, “har jari ya kai dubu hamsin cifi cif”/up to ₦50,000 neat. He said he prefers schooling to hawking, but poverty forced him into hawking. He relates this with devasting charming smile and enthusiasm of his current station in life—clearly with a business goal in mind.
Touched by his resolve to better his business, the video was posted on Anwar Textiles personal account and it went viral. This impressed so many people (including Pop Cola company in Kano) that they sent their widow’s mite to Anwar Textiles to improve the boy’s capital. Some asked for an account. In a very honorable way, Anwar Textiles traced the boy’s father and recorded a video in which the father explained their happiness about the crowdsource funding efforts made by Anwar Textiles. He emphasized that they were not begging for assistance as such (they were well off, but had a bad patch in life), but are grateful to those who contribute to the boy’s entrepreneurial ambitions. An account number was given.
By 16th May 2025, Sadiq had over ₦300,000 capital, and a larger basket to hold more products which Anwar Textiles helped to purchase for him. The balance of the money was handed over to the father. He thanked Anwar Textiles for making possible for people to know him. He displayed his new “mobile shop” and declared, “daga nan sai ƙasar waje, inshaa Allahu”/next, overseas, by God’s grace. He also declared his intention to go back to school soon enough.
I find Anwar Textiles honorable. He located the boy, helped him, and supported his family. Importantly, he did not engage the boy in a gaudy marketing gimmick for his company, as done with Kabeer2pac. The boys’ marketing strategy was brilliant as seen in a video posted few days later in which he persuades a motorist to buy more car fresheners that the customer actually intended to buy!
Both these teenage boys demonstrate what personal resolve can achieve. Through the power of social media, each has attained something of what they want as a beginning of their lives. For Kabeer2pac, his social media platform which thrive on trends and viral content, where the unusual or unexpected can quickly gain traction through likes, shares, and comments, further amplifying its reach, worked perfectly well. He has the fame (ɗaukaka) he strives for.
For Young Dangote, who has no social media presence (I even doubt if he has a phone, for he would rather probably plough the money into his business), we see what the power of crowdfunding and simple determination can do in a spontaneous way. Comments from those who knew the family indicated that they were stable (as indeed even the father stated), but went through a bad patch. Instead of mourning their turbulent period, Sadiq dropped out of school, picked up a basket got some money and bought car fresheners and started hawking them at traffic stops. The rest, as they say, is a viral history.
Social media can be a space for what Bala Muhammad (Adaidaita Sahu) at the DEEDS Book vs Screen May 2025 KHAIRUN Dialogue refer to as “digital iskanci”. Or something else. Your judgement of each is, of course, personal.
