Pastor Kesiena Esiri has strongly criticized the growing influence of social media figure Peller on Nigerian youths, blaming it for their declining academic performance and poor JAMB results.
The outspoken clergyman expressed his concerns during a recent sermon at his church, where he addressed the issue of social media addiction among young people and its detrimental effects on their studies and moral values.
Pastor Esiri
Pastor Esiri noted that many young people now see Peller as a role model and spend an alarming amount of time on his social media page, engaging with content that the pastor described as morally questionable.
He lamented that rather than focusing on their books and preparing for crucial examinations like JAMB, the youths are idolizing individuals who, according to him, promote irresponsible lifestyles.
“You know the person mentoring the young people now? It’s one guy that calls himself Peller,” Pastor Esiri stated passionately during his message. “Young people now sit down on his page from morning till night. He is going about with a girl he is not married to and they are engaging in all kinds of nonsense things. And my society thinks—my generation thinks—that it is just a normal behavior… How can they pass JAMB? They can’t pass JAMB.”
His remarks stirred mixed reactions online, with some agreeing with his concerns about social media distractions, while others argued that academic performance depends on a range of factors, not just online influence.
“Young people stay on Peller’s page from morning till night, how can they pass JAMB?” Evang. Esiri quizzes his congregants pic.twitter.com/9tLcj6E486
— GoldMyneTV (@GoldmyneTV) May 25, 2025