Nigerian singer, actor, and entrepreneur Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, has spoken openly about the emotional impact of social media trolling and the pressures young men face while growing up in Nigeria.
The entertainer shared his thoughts on rejection, resilience, and societal expectations during an appearance on the MENtality podcast hosted by media personality Ebuka.
Drawing from personal experiences, Banky W reflected on how young men are often conditioned to face rejection from an early age.
He said, “Men are trained in rejection because you have to muster up the nerve to ask a girl to dance. You had to muster up the nerve to ask, ‘Will you be my Valentine?’ I remember Valentine’s Day back in secondary school; you had to write notes. I remember certain guys being rejected in public, and it was a complete embarrassment.”
Banky W also addressed the emotional harm caused by verbal attacks, stressing that words can leave deep scars.
According to him, “This idea that it’s just words…I would argue that word wounds can be as damaging as physical wounds.”
Speaking further on the negative effects of online culture, the singer warned that social media has amplified the ease with which people attack others emotionally.
He added, “That is what I think is the danger of this social media era we are in now. Everybody has such an ample opportunity to inflict word wounds and, in fact, that has almost become the order of the day. It’s like people just want to ‘drag’ and to troll.”
Banky W’s comments have sparked conversations about mental health, online responsibility and the need for empathy in digital spaces.
