Nairaland Server Is Down, Founder Gives Reason Nigeria’s Largest Online Forum Is Shut Down

Nairaland, the go-to place for all things Nigerian discussion, is down.

VerseNews learnt that the microblogging site, is where millions of Nigerians gather to chat about everything under the sun – politics, entertainment, business.

It’s been around since 2005, making it a bit of an online legend in Nigeria.

Netizens on the social media app, X, have lamented their inaccessibility into the site and have called out the founder, Seun Osewa for explanation.

In response, Osewa in a series of tweets early Tuesday, oted that the site was brought down due to an abusive report which he had “overlooked” after it was “originally sent on the 14th.”

He added that the server was taken down by the host after which he “removed the offensive content.”

However, he stated that after taking some hours to get support on how to resolve the issue, the forum was restored on the server.

Osewa added that matters took another turn when “they took the server down again with no warning.”

The tweets read further, “I’m guessing that the content I removed was still cached on Cloudflare servers, so they could still see it. I have cleared the caches now, but they are not communicating. I hope they will communicate tomorrow. If you have any ideas for working with abuse teams, please share. My track record is abysmal.

“Nairaland’s server was taken down because I overlooked an abuse report that was originally sent on the 14th. After the takedown, I removed the offensive content.”

Reacting to the development, users on X, including some who visit the Nairaland site daily, have expressed their displeasure, disappointments and/or lamentations.

A user, @BashirAhmaad, tweeted, “Does anyone have information on what’s happening with Nairaland? Typically, it is part of my nightly routine to check the site before bed, but it appears the page is down tonight. Could it be a technical issue, hacking, or something else?”

@SatisfiedLoner_· tweeted, “The tribalism in your forum is mind-blowing and for years you haven’t done anything about it. Your ethnic bashing forum for me deserves to be shut down.”

@jigslionheart wrote, “You mean you have never thought about investing in your own server? As big as NL is?”

Another tweep, @ebunleyi stated, “@seunosewa still think Nairaland is a joke. You overlook what? Imagine if Google experienced such downtime. You really do not rate Nairaland like we rate it sha. Get an active team in place and upscale this site. It means a lot to a lot of Nigerians.”

@rani_reine tweeted, “No wonder. I have tried logging in multiple times in the past 6 hours. Please get it back.”

Another user, @akintollgate, wrote, “Nairaland is bigger than being at the mercy of a host! Scale! Scale! Scale…..I open Nairaland at 7am, 12pm, 5pm and 11pm daily! You have built a true indigenous brand! It’s bigger than what your preferences are….build a team and let it unleash its potential! All the best…..”

One user, @Bimfo, stated, “Own the Abuse team. Have your server at your disposal. As you said in 2014 when we were hacked, Nairaland is bigger now. Oga Mii, Employ people. You are capable. If you really want to consider this advice, you can start by employing me, sir. I will manage any amount.”