Group mobilizes northerners to spam apps owned by Igbo developers on Play store

A self-acclaimed media/news company, known as ‘Daily News Hausa’ on Facebook, has called on Northerners to post terrible reviews about the apps of some Nigerian businesses believed to be owned by South-Easterners.

This, they claim, is in retaliation for how the easterners allegedly discredited ex-presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba’s Crowwe app “until Google accepted the report and removed the Crowwe application from Play Store.”

**Source**: https://web.facebook.com/DailyNewsHausa

The Crowwe app had gained some prominence during the #EndSARS protests in 2020 when its owner tweeted against the protest and sued Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey for supporting the protest.

Only recently, Twitter deleted a genocidal tweet believed to be made against the Igbos by President Muhammadu Buhari after which its operations were banned in Nigeria.

According to Garba, “Twitter has no right to infuse into our local political affairs. It’s a company, not a government. By removing our democratically elected President’s speech to the people of Nigeria, Twitter needs to shut down from Nigerian internet space. Twitter needs to get out of Nigeria,” he tweeted.

Garba, who doubles as the CEO of IPI Group, then attempted to use the opportunity of the Twitter ban to promote his instant messaging and financial transaction app.

In his tweets, he urged Nigerians to join Crowwe.

Join Crowwe now! Build your country, Build your people and Build your Brand. Join Crowwe now.

This is the best opportunity to grow Nigeria to Build Nigeria, Crowwe to the World.

Join Now from iOS and Android Stores.
— Adamu Garba II (@adamugarba) June 4, 2021

But Nigerians would have none of the Crowwe app as they trooped to Google Play Store to condemn it, posting the worst reviews.

One of the reviews read:

“Extremely Disturbing. I am flabbergasted by the owner of this app. This disgusting person supports inhumane acts such as genocide, kidnapping, terrorism, hate speech and so much more I am afraid to speak of. The fact that a human being can hate people that look just like him makes me sick to my stomach- to the point that I don’t even want my information in this app. How could you? I don’t recommend downloading it and I am hoping this gets taken down effective immediately. Terrible.”

Garba had launched the Crowwe app in the heat of the #EndSARS protest in October 2020. Social media users have, however, criticized the app for copying its Terms and Conditions from another app, Spotify.

Even though Adamu Garba’s Crowwe seems like an intellectual property theft lawsuit waiting to happen, he wasted an opportunity to appeal to national sentiments in marketing his brand. He chose toxic politics to market what requires the public to sustain, and that’s quite a pity.
— Gimba Kakanda (@gimbakakanda) June 14, 2021

Despite the legitimate concerns about the deleted Crowwe app, the ‘Daily News Hausa’ group, which has 180,590 Facebook followers at the time of filing this report, appears to be using its platform to fan the embers of ethnic and tribal conflicts.

Worthy of note is the fact that Jason Njoku and Simple Azenabor have never stated that they belong to IPOB or ESN, neither have they publicly criticized the Crowwe app or its founder. This call to discredit the applications of Igbo-owned businesses on Google Play Store comes days after social media platform, Instagram, also took down Adamu Garba’s account.

In a Facebook post, Garba wrote: “They’ve taken down my Instagram too. This could happen to anyone for voicing out contrary opinions. More reasons why we should work excellently on Crowwe.”

While there is no proof that a particular tribe gave the app most of its worst reviews on Playstore, the move by the government of Nigeria to join Indian app Koo over Crowwe in place of Twitter may be an indictment on the Crowwe app and its owner who happens to be a registered member of the ruling party.

The issue of ethnic conflicts has been compounded in Nigeria, particularly in the last few months, by calls for secessions by various ethnic nationalities. The ideal solution to these calls should be at the forefront of national political debates. Antagonistic groups should not be allowed to attack legitimate businesses, no matter who owns them.