Former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has weighed in on the ongoing online dispute between Nigerians and South Africans.
Reports indicate that in the early hours of Thursday, citizens from both countries engaged in another round of rivalry. They took to ordering and canceling rides from each other’s countries, all while staying in the comfort of their own homes.
Sowore urged Nigerians to cease what he referred to as the cyberbullying of South Africans.
“I totally condemn the cyber war on South African internet infrastructure by a group of netizens from ‘Nigeria’ disrupting online transportation services for a majority of fellow Africans because of the misconduct of a few South Africans,” he wrote on X.
“It is unacceptable, and I want it stopped henceforth. ‘Cyber Xenophobia’ is as dangerously reprehensible as mental and physical Xenophobia!
“There are millions of South Africans, as well as Nigerians in the diaspora, that would be adversely affected by this terrible conduct.
“The technology ride-hailing company, Bolt, has announced that it has suspended an unspecified number of accounts engaged in soliciting fraudulent ride requests and subsequently canceling them.
“The ride-hailing application has also limited requests for rides between countries due to a significant increase in such requests in Nigeria and South Africa.
“In the early hours of Thursday, a new chapter unfolded in the heated online dispute between Nigerians and South Africans, as both groups entered into yet another contest for dominance.
“Citizens from both nations have taken to ordering e-hailing drivers from one another’s countries, all from the comfort of their own homes,” he wrote.
It was learnt that several South African and Nigerian riders were left confused, after pranksters requested fake rides on Thursday.
South Africans and Nigerians had a disturbing “Bolt for Bolt” challenge on Twitter.
For this reason, Bolt announced restrictions to inter-country ride requests between Nigeria and South Africa.
