Prelims

Half Title Page

DIGITAL ACTIVISM AND CYBERCONFLICTS IN NIGERIA

Series Page

DIGITAL ACTIVISM AND SOCIETY: POLITICS, ECONOMY AND CULTURE IN NETWORK COMMUNICATION

The Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy and Culture in Network Communication series focuses on the political use of digital everyday-networked media by corporations, governments, international organizations (Digital Politics), as well as civil society actors, NGOs, activists, social movements and dissidents (Digital Activism) attempting to recruit, organise and fund their operations, through information communication technologies.

The series publishes books on theories and empirical case studies of digital politics and activism in the specific context of communication networks. Topics covered by the series include, but are not limited to:

• the different theoretical and analytical approaches of political communication in digital networks;

• studies of socio-political media movements and activism (and ‘hacktivism’);

• transformations of older topics such as inequality, gender, class, power, identity and group belonging; and

• strengths and vulnerabilities of social networks.

Series Editor

Dr Athina Karatzogianni

About the Series Editor

Dr Athina Karatzogianni is an Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, UK. Her research focuses on the intersections between digital media theory and political economy in order to study the use of digital technologies by new sociopolitical formations.

Published Books in this Series:

Digital Materialism: Origins, Philosophies, Prospects by Baruch Gottlieb

Forthcoming Titles:

Nirbhaya, New Media and Digital Gender Activism by Adrija Dey

Title Page

DIGITAL ACTIVISM AND CYBERCONFLICTS IN NIGERIA: OCCUPY NIGERIA, BOKO HARAM AND MEND

BY

SHOLA ABIDEMI OLABODE

University of Hull, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2018

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78756-015-4 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78756-014-7 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78756-016-1 (Epub)

List of Figures

List of Tables

About the Author

Shola Abidemi Olabode completed his PhD in Media Studies at the School of Social Sciences, University of Hull, UK. He also holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Law, BSc (Hons) in Mass Communication from the University of Hertfordshire, UK, and a Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Jos, Nigeria. He has served as a Tutor of Media Movements and Radical Politics at the University of Hull. His main research interests are in digital activism and cyberconflicts.

Preface

Developments in media, culture and society have been an area of growing interest in the last few decades given the rapid developments in digitisation infrastructure. The critical role of media (old and new) for political development and the wave of conflict that has been evolving across the globe motivated my curiosity to understand and advance fresh thinking on the intersection between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and conflict. In Nigeria, conflict has been an integral part of political life and has served as a catalyst for a progressive Nigerian society from the pre-colonial era to the current period of democratisation. As in other countries on the continent, dissident movements, social movements, civil society organisations and radical movements in Nigeria have found a voice in conflict and continue to harness various media technologies in their quest to influence government programmes, policies, reforms and changes in Africa’s most populous country. In all this, the media has served as a tool and resource for dissident movements who use the medium as a means to achieve their goals.

This monograph is a product of my doctoral dissertation carried out at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Hull. The thesis has been revised in part to broaden its scope to include snapshots of recent conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, its primary focus remains the same: the use of information and communication technologies in the Occupy Nigeria, Boko Haram and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta conflicts. The three distinct cases provide a lens for examining mobilisation among contemporary movements in Nigeria in one single study and allows for perspectives to be offered on digital activism and cyberconflicts from a developing non-western context.

There are some people to whom I am most thankful for their support, inspiration, assistance and kindness during the length of this research. I acknowledge the inspiration and the strong guidance provided by my supervisor, Dr Athina Karatzogianni, who exposed me to her wealth of experience in the field of research and believed in my work. I am particularly thankful for the opportunities for professional development, her encouragement and support throughout my doctoral programme. I owe my second supervisor, Dr Julia Holdsworth, my sincere appreciation for offering me her valuable support, assistance, suggestions and supervision. I also thank Dr Bev Orton and Dr Anastasia Kavada for their insightful recommendations.

I am grateful to all the interviewees from Nigeria who agreed to be part of this project and contributed to this research. All of the interviewees, veteran activists, civil society actors, academicians and ordinary Nigerians played a significant role in the protests and as such offered profound insights for this research. I am most grateful for the unwavering love, patience, understanding, sacrifice and support shown by my mother Mrs Taiwo Caroline Olabode, my brothers Dr Abayomi Olabode, Dr Mayowa Olabode and Mr Tosin Olabode and my sister Miss Kemi Olabode throughout this research. I thank them for their patience, prayers, encouragement and support. I dedicate this book to the memory of my father, Dr Atanda Olayinka Olabode, who would have been joyful to see me tail his path as a scholar. I am grateful to Mr Wale Ojo and his family for their support during different phases of my academic and professional development.

I wish to thank members of the Amazing Grace Chapel of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Hull for their prayers. I appreciate all my friends and acquaintances: Dr Ernest Darfour, Dr Eghosa Ekhato, Dr Emmanuel Ubuo and Mr Segun Sokan to mention but a few. I appreciate their valuable contributions morally and spiritually. Finally, I am most grateful to God, in Him whom all things are possible, for the grace and the gift of life to complete this project.