Nigeria, March 16 -- Across Africa and particularly in Nigeria, the digital space has become one of the most consequential battlegrounds for democracy. Technology still holds enormous promise: it can expand participation, lower barriers to organisation, amplify marginalised voices, and drive accountability. But that promise is increasingly being suffocated by a toxic convergence of state repression, unchecked corporate power, and fragile civic capacity.

In 2024, Africa recorded 21 internet shutdowns across 15 countries, including Nigeria. These were mostly political decisions. Tools once celebrated as engines of inclusion are now routinely weaponised to silence dissent, manipulate elections, and fragment public discourse. Nigeria's digit...