Stories about Nigeria
Access denied: the social and economic costs of Nigeria’s Twitter blackout
President Buhari of Nigeria has perceived Twitter’s support for the 2020 youth-led #EndSARS protests, together with the deletion of his tweet, as an act of hostility.
Nigerian government suspends Twitter after controversy over president's deleted tweet threatening violence
Nigeria twitter users from different ethnic groups adopted Igbo names while trending the #IamIgboToo hashtag to express their solidarity with the Igbo people, targets of President Buhari’s offensive tweet.
Nigerian politician arrested for condemning the kidnap of schoolchildren
Salihu Tanko Yakasi’s tweets came after the kidnapping of about 300 school girls at Government Girls Secondary School inJangebe, north-western Nigeria, on February 26, 2021.
Nigerian protesters arrested for resisting reopening of the Lagos Lekki toll gate
The protest came on the heels of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry's decision to reopen the toll gate— a move perceived as insensitive to victims of the Lekki shootings.
COVID-19, digital rights and Nigeria's emerging surveillance state
In Nigeria, contact-tracing apps raise valid concerns about the government's attempts to leverage this for future clampdowns on citizens' digital rights — long after the pandemic is long gone.
Seven African governments employ surveillance spyware, says new study
Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have employed surveillance technology from Circles, a firm affiliated with Israel's NSO Group, according to the report by Citizen Lab.
Shutdowns, throttling and stifling dissent online: Africa’s new normal, Part II
Weaponizing digital blackouts or social media clamp down by Algeria, Ethiopia, Guinea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania is an ominous sign of a deeply problematic system of governance.
Shutdowns, throttling and stifling dissent online: Africa’s new normal, Part I
African governments are using school examinations and politically charged moments as an excuse to effect digital blackouts or clamp down on social media.
How Facebook derailed Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement
Online free speech advocates insist that Facebook’s flagging of #EndSARS content was neither a “mistake” nor a “bug,” but rather due to sparse investment in content moderation.
Digital rights in Africa is still far from the internet freedom we desire
Despite the prevailing circumstance, but hopeful about the future, eight Global Voices contributors from six African countries discuss Internet freedom and how digital rights can be promoted in the continent.
African Union turns to biosurveillance tech to curb COVID-19
PanaBIOS, an African Union-backed biosurveillance technology, can track the spread of COVID-19 and connect testing centers across the continent.
A new game plays with ideas about how disinformation works in East Africa
"Chose Your Own Fake News" is an online game that teaches new internet users how to be more discerning about the information they receive and encounter in digital spaces.
Women in Nigeria face a caustic landmine of political advocacy online
“I’ve grown a really thick skin,” said Fakhriyyah Hashim, co-founder of the #ArewaMeToo movement in northern Nigeria.
Nigerian atheist faces death threats for blasphemy against Islam
"Nigeria is a secular state and freedom of speech is one of the fundamental characteristics of a modern democratic state. Criticizing a religion is not a criminal offence."
How to protect Nigerians’ personal information while combating COVID-19
Combatting COVID-19 through all available legal means is urgent. However, such means need not be at the expense of protecting human rights — including the right to privacy.
Nigeria's digital ID scheme may benefit those ‘with access'— but what about everyone else?
"Without an adequate data privacy or protection law, how can we safeguard against some of the greatest risks that such a system could incur?"
This Nigerian human rights lawyer wins second order of restraint against government
Lawyer Gloria Ballason has experienced ongoing intimidation and harassment by Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, amid a growing crackdown on freedom of expression and dissent in Nigeria.
Nigerian government orders release of Omoyele Sowore, journalist and human rights activist
Omoyele Sowore was arrested in August on charges of treason, money laundry and harassing President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria. He has been in jail despite court pronouncements ordering his release.
Nigeria's social media bill will obliterate online freedom of expression
The proposed social media bill will annihilate online freedom of expression, criminalize criticism of the government and legalize internet shutdowns in Nigeria.
Twitter was a minefield of false information during the 2019 Nigerian elections
Twitter became a battle ground of ethnocentric disinformation and political propaganda before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the 2019 elections in Nigeria.
