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I am from Nigeria and I have been a witness to civil and religious violence first-hand in Jos, Plateau State, as far back as 2001. The memories of the chaos, destruction, and loss remain etched in my mind, fueled by divisive rhetoric that inflamed tensions between communities.

Today, just like in 1994 Rwanda, Nigeria faces a storm of violent and religious hate speech that is spreading unchecked, particularly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, operated by Meta. We cannot afford a repetition of history, where hate speech led to the tragic genocide in Rwanda. Now, with advanced technology and broader communication access, the potential for harm in Nigeria—a country with a population five times the size of Rwanda—is even greater.

Meta, as a leading social media conglomerate, bears a significant responsibility to ensure that its platforms are not misused to propagate hate. Despite existing regulations, inflammatory speech continues to proliferate, threatening the safety and unity of Nigerian communities.

We demand that Mark Zuckerberg and Meta take decisive and immediate action to curb the spread of hate speech on Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria. This includes reinforcing content moderation efforts, working closely with local regulators, and engaging community leaders to ensure accurate monitoring and swift removal of harmful content.

Meta must allocate more resources to its Nigerian operations so that content in indigenous languages can be effectively managed, and the nuances of local dialects understood, to prevent the overlooked spread of hate speech.

By signing this petition, you are urging Meta to prioritize the safety and peace of Nigerian citizens and demonstrate a commitment to preventing violence facilitated by its platforms. Join us in calling for accountability and an end to online hate speech before it translates into further real-world violence.