Nigeria's Digital Crossroads: Repression vs. Civic Renaissance
Nigeria faces a critical choice in its digital future. While technology offers promise for democracy, it's increasingly weaponized against dissent through internet shutdowns (21 across Africa in 2024), cybercrime laws, and surveillance. Digital authoritarianism threatens civic space, with women, journalists, and activists facing unsafe online environments. However, civil society remains the last defense, though strained by funding gaps and fragmentation. The Luminate retreat revealed systemic pressures linking tech to economic justice, environmental harm, and labor exploitation. Collective action and narrative power are now essential to protect democracy.