Rita Dominic: Why are trolls attacking Nigerians who complain of misrule?

Rita Dominic, the Nollywood actress, has wondered why similar-looking Twitter accounts are attacking Nigerians who lament about the state of the nation.

It’s a rather trying time in Nigeria, especially in the context of the crisis facing the education, power, and oil sectors.

Nigerians have been experiencing power cuts for weeks amid a surge in petrol and diesel prices.

The situation, coupled with the biting insecurity across the nation, is taking a significant toll on businesses.

Last week, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) blamed the abysmal power supply experienced nationwide on low power generation by the generation companies (GenCos).

But a recent collapse of the national grid has since raised more concerns about the trajectory of the country’s power sector and, by extension, the survival of businesses.

Nigerians, including celebrities on social media, have been heavily criticising the government of President Muhammadu Buhari over the past few days for the seemingly neverending woes.

Outcries often degenerate into arguments, especially on Twitter where similar-looking accounts appeared to be attacking tweeps.

Speaking on the matter, the actress touted the idea that the social media trolls might be working towards keeping their political benefactors on the good side of public opinion by attacking those who criticise the government and other state forces.

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“What’s happening? Someone complains about electricity or water or education, similar-looking accounts will rush to the tweet to insult them. Is that the new strategy to win election?” Dominic asked.