Twitter Ban, Restoration And More: The Rise Of Digital Authoritarianism In Nigeria? -By Tope Shola Akinyetun

Introduction

The majority of African countries were former colonies of European powers who soon slipped into authoritarian rule at the beginning of their post-colonial administration. However, with the wave of democracy that spread across the globe, many African countries embraced the ideals of democracy such as the guarantee of the rule of law, protection of human rights and the organization of periodic elections. As such, the 1990s will be remembered as the era of democratization in Africa while the 2000s remain the period of techno-optimism when the digital revolution was hailed for its transformative power of strengthening democratization in Africa and engendering an epoch of digital democracy.

The popularization of computers and the internet has led to an industrial revolution occasioned by the proliferation of social media and other digital networking tools. The internet has become a liberation tool for increased citizen participation in politics, activism and the entrenchment of democratic precepts. Following the adoption of social media by President Barrack Obama of the United States for election purposes and its dissemination by President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria for the same purpose, it has become a favourite election tool in other African countries such as Botswana, Kenya, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo – among others.

However, despite the enormous global advantage of political communication, engagement and criticism that social media tools such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter hold for democratization in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular, it has been greeted with mixed feelings. The tools have been accused of being manipulated to spread fake news and promote violence. As a result, various governments – including Nigeria – have treated the tools with pessimism and have gone ahead to clamp down on them and promote another epoch of digital authoritarianism in the history of democratization in Africa. The majority of such governments or hybrid regimes have argued that due to restricted control and its faceless nature, digital technology is increasingly being used by citizens to spread disinformation, fake news, hate speech and to incite violence. Hence, the government is justified in using the same tools to control the distortion of information, fight terrorism, combat money laundering and generally ensure national security.

Social media and Twittersphere in Nigeria

Social media is an interactive medium that gives its users an experience of sharing personal information, networking and general communication. It has successfully revolutionized the one-sided communication between individuals to create a two-sided communication of various possibilities. Popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Unlike traditional media which makes its users passive content consumers, social media turn its users into active content producers and consumers. In this wise, its users are not just consumers of political content, but producers and creators who use the medium to promote political ideas and discourse, promote governance, promote freedom of speech, consolidate democracy, enhance civic activism as well as organise protests and social movements; particularly among youths.

The NOI Polls Social Media Report 2019 shows that 61% (i.e. 120 million) Nigerians have access to the internet and mostly prefer WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter; in that order. However, the report shows that WhatsApp and Facebook are preferred for speed and connectivity and that Twitter is preferred due to its use to provide feedback for the government. With an estimated 20% (i.e. 39.6 million) users, Twitter’s impact in promoting advocacy, better social interaction and instant information cannot be undermined. Twitter is significant for its use as a platform for concise and fast political messages. Further analysis of the report shows that Twitter is notable among Nigerians as a platform that allows for obtaining prompt feedback from the government as well as obtaining real and reliable news and education. It further reads “Indeed, a lot of civil protests and various forms of advocacy engage Twitter to promulgate their cause, and that’s possibly why a large proportion indicated government gets feedback from people on Twitter” (p. 11). Having the largest daily cumulative value of 10 hours, Twitter is used to communicate grievances, influence government policy and promote activism.

A case in point is the use of Twitter by Nigerian youths to organize and sustain the nationwide #Endsars protests against police brutality in 2020. It was actively used to coordinate a leaderless protest and garner public and international support. Twitter is popular among youths for organizing public protests and social movements through the popularization of hashtags aimed at stirring discussions around sociopolitical matters. Examples include the #BlackLivesMatter, #ArabSpring, #Istandwithhongkong, #UmbrellaRevolution, #BringBackOurGirls and #MarchforOurLives.

There is no gainsaying that Twitter has become a popular communication tool among Nigerian leaders; including President Muhammadu Buhari, and their supporters who use the platform to promote conversations on the socioeconomic, sociopolitical and sociocultural issues in the country, disseminate timely information and update citizens on government policies. As such, the use of Twitter to express, promote and critique political issues to enhance democratization and increase citizen involvement in decision-making is known as Twittersphere.

Despite the above, there has been a hot debate around Twitter in Nigeria; not just because of its relevance, but for its recent ban by President Buhari in a manner that suggests the rise of digital authoritarianism.

Twitter ban: Digital Authoritarianism?

President Buhari in June 2021 announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter for deleting his tweet about secessionist activities in the Southeast of the country. Twitter claimed that the tweet infringes on its rules against inciting violence. The suspension would then go on to last for 222 days after which it was lifted. The suspension of the microblogging services in Nigeria had spillover effects on its users who relied on the app for political discourse, the debate of government policies, real-time information and for business purposes. This move by the government was criticized as an act of digital repression and an infringement of the people’s right to information and freedom of expression – which are essential to the democratic process. Although many users dared the government and continued to access the site using Virtual Private Networks (VPN), it was however clear that the government was not concerned about the democratic implications of its actions.

Despite the public outcry against the move and the condemnation from the international community, the government remained firm in its decision. Worst still, the ban harmed the country’s image, foreign investors, small and medium-sized enterprises, and startup businesses that require social media presence to advertise their business and engage with potential customers. Blankenship and Golubski (2021) claimed that Nigeria lost over 2 billion Naira ($4.86 million) to the ban daily while unemployment increased to 35 per cent.

What is more disturbing here is that the ban reveals the rise of an anti-democratic threat; digital authoritarianism. Governments in Africa despite embracing the digitization of democracy, have failed to wane their autocratic tendencies, but have instead turned to digital tools as instruments of repression. The role of digital technology in promoting civic engagement is being reversed to manipulate elections, spread disinformation, censor access to information, perpetuate cyberattacks and espionage, as well as to engage in mass surveillance of citizens. There has been an increase in the censorship, shutting down and control of the internet in many African states. For instance, President Museveni of Uganda used the internet to spread disinformation ahead of the 2021 general elections and is notable for shutting down the internet on different occasions.

Meanwhile, as internet freedom is being threatened in Ethiopia, Guinea, Zimbabwe and Togo have experienced communication distortion, Burundi and Botswana are known for censorship, while Sudan and Nigeria have adopted surveillance and social media ban, respectively. These however do not exempt the incidence of digital persecution in Egypt. Thus, with the ban (and restoration) of Twitter in Nigeria, is Nigeria promoting digital authoritarianism? Is Nigeria encouraging other African countries to do the same at will? Should we expect more (or other forms) from Nigeria?

To be sure, digital authoritarianism is defined as “the use of the Internet and related digital technologies by leaders with authoritarian tendencies to decrease trust in public institutions, increase social and political control, and/or undermine civil liberties” (Yayboke and Brannen, 2020). With this definition in mind, could the ban on Twitter be a bold move at undermining civil liberty and maintaining authoritarian political control in Nigeria using digital technology?

The task ahead

The task ahead is an arduous one that requires the joint effort of the citizens, government and the international community. Citizens should desist from spreading fake news and disinformation capable of upsetting the government to the extent of engaging in digital repression and restriction of access to information and human rights violations. Citizens should instead espouse a commitment to using digitization to enhance civic engagement, civic activism, political participation, protests, communication, socialization, social relations and improved interaction. The government should be sincere in its approach towards protecting human rights and promoting digital democracy in Africa by encouraging public awareness and discouraging digital or it-backed authoritarianism. In place of this, priority should be given to ensuring internet freedom to enable citizens to express themselves freely. Finally, the international community should monitor the governments of Africa to discourage the popularization of digital authoritarianism and make laws that will guarantee the protection of internet freedom among citizens.