By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
The Nigerian government, under President Bola Tinubu, has been accused of paying bloggers N750,000 per post to discredit Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate.
The campaign targets Sowore and the Take-It-Back movement, which supports the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. Evidence of such payments has surfaced, including a receipt, suggesting a coordinated effort to undermine the protest movement.
A blogger revealed that the Tinubu administration is disseminating a video interview of Sowore, conducted by News Central TV from his New Jersey base, to falsely portray him as calling for protests while not in Nigeria. This campaign coincides with Sowore’s recent legal challenges and advocacy efforts, including his role in securing the release of journalist Daniel Ojukwu, detained by police in Lagos.
