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| Photo credit: Pixabay |
On the 5th June, 2021; Nigerians woke up to the news that the Nigerian government banned the usage of Twitter in the country and all hell let loose as numerous Nigeria citizens, home and abroad reacted to the development as a way to silence millions of users of the micro-blogging platform in Nigeria.
The development was triggered after a tweet by President Buhari was reportedly deleted and the number one citizen of Nigeria was temporary suspended on the same platform. This was as a result of "the Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, warning the southeastern people of Nigeria, predominantly Igbo people, of a potential repeat of the 1967 Biafran Civil War due to the ongoing insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria” as published on Wikipedia.
During the effective ban on the social media giant, many stakeholders lambasted Buhari; from Amnesty International, to a number of diplomats of some countries in Nigeria and notably; in a joint statement released by United States and the European Union:
While the ban was in course, many Nigerians had continued to access the site after the suspension using virtual private networks (VPNs) but most corporate organisations, including many media outfits, had obeyed the government's order.
My
interview with some Nigerians most especially close friends who were still
using the banned-platform at the time stated that Nigerians have built an
economic marketplace through Twitter and a ban will not stop them from using
it.
The Nigerian authority accused Twitter of siding with secessionists and concluded that before ending the ban, Twitter, should comply with the following:
· * Register in Nigeria.
· * Appoint a designated country representative.
· * Comply with tax obligations in Nigeria.
· * Enroll Nigeria in its portal for direct
communications between government officials and Twitter to manage prohibited
content that violates Twitter community rules.
· * Act with a respectful acknowledgement of
Nigerian laws.
I describe this latest resolution between the
Nigerian authority and Twitter as “check mate”; as this will make people of
Nigeria to benefit from official proceeds arising from Twitter in the country
and also opens an avenue for the micro-blogging company to take up responsibilities.
On the 13th January, 2022; after seven (7) months of clampdown,
the ban was lifted!
Bitcoin
ban:
The Nigerian authority through CBN government
- Godwin Emefiele, (Central
Bank of Nigeria) confirmed the
prohibition of cryptocurrencies on the 5th February 2021. They ruled that these virtual currencies
are issued by unregulated and unlicensed entities, and therefore crypto trading
is illegal.
In an article published on the 16th
December, 2021 on Africa
Report, by Tope Ayeni; are valid reasons (provided below):
Why CBN react
with a ban?:
“Many other countries around have
banned cryptocurrencies. They justify this as a means to counter fraud and terrorism by locking bank accounts.
It is the CBN’s mandate to regulate
the banking system in Nigeria, so it has the right to ban cryptocurrencies. But
some urge the regulators to allow the trade in crypto, as it does with other
currencies that are not legal tender in the country such as the British pound
and the US dollar.
The CBN doesn’t accept that parallel.
Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, the director of the bank’s corporate communications
department, says that pounds and dollars cannot be compared to
cryptocurrencies.
He told The Africa Report: “The
restriction of cryptocurrencies in our financial system is not targeted at
anybody but based on deep analysis and the risks it portends to our financial
system. The currencies mentioned above [pounds and dollars] are legal
currencies of sovereign nations, issued by known entities.”
He added: “The CBN has just issued
its CBDC called the eNaira and this is a legal tender in Nigeria. We do not
recognise any other virtual currency and therefore have no plans to legalise
any other.”
However, as our Lagos-based financial
analyst points out: “The issue with the eNaira is that it takes away one of the
major attractions of cryptocurrencies which is that a lot of users are very
excited with regards to the absence of centralised authority.”
Click on the link below to view
official statement from CBN: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:58c6173f-7f13-44ac-8c37-b83116abf769
My
research:
Having acknowledging (with serious
observations) the recent ban and lift-of-ban on Twitter and the on-going ban on
Bitcoin; I decided to embark on a research on both Twitter as a social media platform
in connection with Bitcoin as a banned mode-of-payment in Nigeria.
My research started officially, few
days after CBN made the announcement in February 2021 and even though I wasn’t physically
available in Nigeria at the time I beefed up myself with necessary information,
tools and security in relation to my social media presences (Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube).
I decided setting at work, remembering
leaving no stones unturned in finding a lead to the most important questions
that I set before me. I tried using my level of technology involvement and
education to unravel the misery.
Encounter
A:
Q1:
Which social media platforms do people use for illicit activities?
A1:
Most users love Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp to
carryout whatever they need to do; either business or personal (legal &
illegal). It took me 9 months (November, 2021) to find the first lead and it
was when a Bitcoin investor approached me on both Instagram and Whatsapp and
persuaded me to go into Bitcoin trading. Please note, I’m in South Africa and
trading of Bitcoin is allowed in the Republic of South Africa.
My Bitcoin investor succeeded in recruiting
me to the platform but mind you, I joined so that I see what has been hidden in
the new scam-bait by this Bitcoin investor. As time goes on the Bitcoin
investor encouraged me to fund my Luno’s Bitcoin account which I didn’t heed to
his directives and he got frustrated.
A month or two, the Bitcoin investor
came back to me with another strategy and this time on Whatsapp. He persuaded
he can fund my Luno’s account with R3000 worth of Bitcoin and that he needs my
Whatsapp app login to be able to teach me how to trade.
I fell for it and in the end the
Bitcoin investor hijacked my Whatsapp app successfully on 4th
November, 2021 and that was after I already left the mobile application in
August 2021. Though, I remember notifying some close friends on what Whatsapp
profile that I might be leaving the mobile app and when I finally left my
friends were worried.
In the long run, the so-called
Bitcoin investor took over my Whatsapp app after I unknowingly helped him by
sending him the PIN (second-factor notification code) and he downloaded a new
Whatsapp on his side and tried to convince my contacts about his illegal
Bitcoin trading scam.
My
Instagram Post (after the Bitcoin Investor scammer hijacked my Whatsapp): https://www.instagram.com/p/CV20CgyIrrA/
The
fake Bitcoin Investor’s IG profile (at the
time):https://www.instagram.com/investor_elan788
Conclusion:
Be careful of people using Whatsapp and Instagram to invite you to join
Bitcoin trading (Buy/Sell) and Bitcoin mining as majority are fake. Real
Bitcoin investors, traders and miners are available you just need to look
before you leap!
After I got my finger burnt in
November, 2021; I almost gave up on my research but little did I know that I am
on the right course and my pursue to unravel the linkage between social media
users and Bitcoin transactions across Africa and Nigeria as a case-study.
My first encounter is a proof that
illegal activities surround some social media users in relation to Bitcoin as a
financial system that encourages or facilitates fraud, blackmail and even
terrorism.
Encounter
B (Please note real identities and banking information of the two suspects
are withheld as they will be reported to the necessary authorities in
Nigeria):
Q2:
How I discover that Twitter is one of the social media platforms used in
illicit Bitcoin transactions in Nigeria?
A2:
More temptations started coming in from digital marketers that are selling
or trading on Bitcoin from right, left and centre. At this time, I have no one
to trust and every day the urge to trade and mine Bitcoin increases while not
forgetting my primary reason of starting the research.
I have to let time healed loosing of
my Whatsapp to that fake Bitcoin investor (digital marketer) so I waited till
February, 2022 before I make a move. I started researching more on Bitcoin but
no head-way in the direction of my research so I decided to play around on all
my social media platforms. This time, I shared on my Twitter timeline on 25th
March, 2022 “Can someone sell BTC to me
or refer someone to me?”
What I got led me to discover that
some digital markers in Nigeria are hiding under Twitter to involve in illegal
financial flow through Bitcoin after the mode-of-payment and financial system
has been banned by CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria).
In less than 30 minutes after I
tweeted “Can someone sell BTC to me or refer someone to me?” I got two people
responded and both of them are from Nigeria and is a pity no Bitcoin digital
marketers responded from anywhere else.
So I followed through, I chatted with
a young lady (Twitter handle withheld) under a fake name (A...R...I...Z…O…N…A) who claimed to know someone who can sell me
Bitcoin and in less than 2 minutes a guy chatted me up on Twitter (Twitter
handle of the second suspect is also withheld) but his fake name is (DARAMOLA).
I knew both (DARAMOLA) and (A...R...I...Z…O…N…A)
are located in Lagos, Nigeria after I did a quick check on their identities and
lo and behold I found them on a professional social media platform (LinkedIn). With (A...R...I...Z…O…N…A)’s identity, it was easy to get; as her Twitter
profile page reflected some professional information and with those I got her
full name, email, phone numbers and picture(s).
(DARAMOLA)
and I talked business and it seems he was surprised I was chatting with him. I
think he likes my personality or a fan of me I must say. We agreed on how much
I’d pay for 0.00063BTC (Naira22, 000) and is time to confirm if
truly he has Bitcoin to sell (Please note many of them {digital marketers} go
about Bitcoin trading without having any on sale) so he asked me for my Bitcoin
wallet to do a transfer. I later gave him my wallet to transfer the Bitcoin.
Initially I believe he will not send before he received payment so I gave him
me a wrong wallet since all I needed was a proof he sells Bitcoin. The transfer
wasn’t successful and he sent me a proof via my Twitter inbox because of my
wrong wallet but I didn’t know until the next day that he made an attempt to
send the Bitcoin (in so doing I knew he sells Bitcoin for real).
After 15 hours of failed transfer, I
signed into my Twitter on Saturday morning (26th March, 2022); saw (DARAMOLA)’s message. I got the lead and
I wanted to back off from the transaction as I already got proof that (DARAMOLA) uses Twitter to make illegal
business transaction(s) through Bitcoin but he insisted that I sent him the
correct wallet for him to send the BTC.
I tried without giving myself out to
deter him from the transaction by telling him that he’d only receive the
payment on coming Monday (28th March, 2022) and he had no issues
with it then I gave him the correct wallet for the transfer to be done. To (DARAMOLA), he wanted to make the usual
illegal proceeds from Bitcoin to me I wanted to arrive somewhere with my
research so that the publication can go live after over a year of serious
indulgence.
Is 6th April, 2022, I have
not sent any monies to (DARAMOLA) as
I don’t want to be part of his shady deals or continue to enrich is illegal
money means through Bitcoin which remain banned in Nigeria.
My
proof of transaction with (DARAMOLA)
{Please note (DARAMOLA) tried to
tamper (deleted) with evidence but I still prevailed via my technology know-how
to retrieve those evidences}:
Evidence
1: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:db9c9486-dbe9-4fa2-bb36-03133ee8aeb2
Evidence
2: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:0b9497a6-26be-4a09-94e7-78277b9b847b
Evidence
3: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:bc207872-d0e0-4e9e-86b9-af4e63306b67
Evidence
4: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8e42b969-c274-4ae1-86a1-2a3840b4cd30
Evidence
5: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:7d5dd60f-9277-49c3-a64f-8a86def42036
Evidence
6: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:c91b3b3e-5a51-41cc-bcb1-59ddc9701606
Conclusion:
Yes, some Nigerians are not law-abiding when it comes to heeding to CBN’s
Governor’s directives in terms of Bitcoin ban in Nigeria and Twitter is one out
of many online social media platforms they used to perpetrate their illegal
activities.
Please
note – Encounter B: While real identities of the two suspects are withheld;
necessary efforts have been put into this research to make sure they are
prosecuted by the necessary authorities in Nigeria until then their identities
will remain undisclosed.
My
Opinion: Nigerian government and its arms of authorities have to be WOKE if
we will make something great of that country. We can’t no longer remain the
same in the way we handle our nation building collectively or individually.
Nigeria has come of age and so the
youths that are deemed for tomorrow’s leadership and if youngsters are not
getting it right from abiding by laws or by-laws in our country then which
future are we talking about? We will just be recycling public-funds embezzlers,
vote-riggers, corrupt business leaders, corrupt entrepreneurs, corrupt digital
marketers, corrupt financial leaders, corrupt police officers, and corrupt
church leaders and so on.
As our nation approaches and prepares
for 2023 elections, I will implore the government of Nigeria to leave any
stones unturned in sanitizing digital marketing space in relation with how
Nigerian youths consume the social media platforms through the internet network
space.
One thing that is possible is, we can
prevent, curb or remove corruption through the internet network space only we
just have to apply ourselves and be responsible at the same time accountable
with the step(s) we take towards tackling lawlessness in motherland.
Solutions:
Just like I raised my concern during
Facebook (Meta) data privacy (usage) scandal of their registered users that led
to one thing to the other until eventually something was done and today the
social media giant is facing a rocking numerous court-cases that are tearing
apart if not down.
Also, I am saying watch your back
Nigerian government before the micro-blogging social media platform finish us
through the back door.
Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey;
recently in a report regretted that he centralized internet, "Centralizing
discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet. I realize
I'm partially to blame, and regret it."
As Affirm CEO and co-founder Max Levchin points out in
replying to Dorsey's tweet, the internet "changed from arthouse to
blockbuster because it needed to gain an audience and make money".
Elon Musk,
recently took over Twitter after purchasing almost $3 billion worth of stock in
the microblogging platform; acquiring a 9.2 percent stake, making him the
company's largest shareholder, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO took to his account to
ask his 80.3 million followers: "Do you want an edit button?" and we
can only hope thing would change for the better than an edit button.
We can tackle all our internet woes
through different telecommunications and broadcasting (mobile + fixed) networks
available in Nigeria if our NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) and NBC
(Nigerian Broadcasting Commission) agencies do their job very well by making
sure that illegal or banned website are securely segregated from world-wide-web
and thereby unreachable for the youths to manipulate.
By Olagunju, Success Taiwo.
For more information about me: https://taiwoolagunju.my-free.website/
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