PREMIUM TIMES
Umar works as an assistant in a provision store in Kano, Nigeria, where shelves brim with items kissed by the sun and dust. After secondary school, this was the only job available. Still, he barely makes ends meet these days as his spending skyrocketed due to inflation, which surged to over 34.19 per cent amidst fuel price increases, among other economic hardships.
In August, the economic struggle culminated in a protest tagged #EndBadGovernance. Like many others, Umar saw this as an opportunity to demand change. “I wanted to share my grievances,” he said
Four days into the protest that began on 1st August, something unexpected appeared – Russian flags waved by demonstrators in the northern cities of Kano, Jos, and Kaduna.
Umar was one of those who waved the flags. “I waved the flag,” he admitted. He had been invited by a friend to a meeting in Hotoro, in Kano, where they were handed Russian flags and told that they symbolise freedom.
“We dropped pictures and videos about the protest on the channel and picked narratives to share online, especially on TikTok and Instagram.”
He added that the channel supplied influencers like him with talking points like “Putin please come and save Nigeria,” “The army is the answer for Nigeria” and urged them to spread these narratives across social media platforms using the hashtag #Zangazanga (a Hausa word for protest) and #putin, #rusiya (Hausa word for Russia).
We tracked the accounts and narratives on TikTok that directly relate to Mr Abbas’ account, focusing on videos posted between 5 and 11 August. We identified 38 accounts that shared similar content promoting pro-Russian narratives and military takeovers. See the list below.
See List Here
Image 2: A subsection of Sani’s account on TikTok, riddled with the pro-Russian narrative during the protests.
Analysing “Africa Initiative” Telegram channel
Telegram has become a medium for disinformation in Africa, with minimal content moderation allowing harmful narratives to spread unchecked. Channels like ‘Africa Initiative’ have been instrumental in promoting pro-Russian sentiments and calls for military intervention, directly influencing actions such as the display of Russian flags during Nigerian protests. This unregulated environment has positioned Telegram as a significant tool in the dissemination of foreign disinformation, impacting political sentiments and public behaviour across the continent.
Using Tgstat, a Telegram analysis tool, we accessed the channel ‘Africa Initiative,’ which describes itself as a ‘Russian information agency about events in Africa.’ The channel has versions in Arabic, French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish. It is filled with narratives about the Russia/Africa relationship and pro-coup posts that praise Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The channel also references its website: afrinz.ru.
The subscriber analysis data from Tgstat revealed that the channel was created in October 2023, with around 200 subscribers at that time. However, by the end of June 2024, just two months before the protests in Nigeria, the channel experienced consistent growth, reaching approximately 50,000 subscribers. This growth continued steadily throughout July, August, and September.
