奈及利亞's 網際網路審查 gained international attention with the June 2021 Twitter ban, imposed after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari that was deemed to violate the platform's policies. The Nigerian government ordered all telecom providers to block Twitter, a ban that lasted until January 2022 and cost the Nigerian economy an estimated $366 million. During the ban, millions of Nigerians used VPNs to continue accessing Twitter.
Beyond the Twitter ban, 奈及利亞 has a growing pattern of internet restrictions. During the October 2020 #EndSARS protests against police brutality, the government throttled social media access in several states. The National Broadcasting Commission has ordered platforms to remove content critical of the government. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has the technical capability to order ISPs to block specific platforms and websites.
奈及利亞's 2019 hate speech bill and proposed social media regulation bill would give the government expanded powers to control online speech and require social media registration with real identities. While these bills have not yet passed, they signal the government's intent to increase control over the digital space. 奈及利亞's 200 million population - the largest in Africa - makes these censorship trends particularly significant.