Why X suddenly cut off payments for most Nigerian creators

X has suspended revenue payments for most Nigerian creators on its platform, with estimates suggesting 80% to 90% of monetised accounts in the country have been flagged for policy violations.

Nigerian creators began experiencing suspensions earlier this week as their monetisation dashboards indicated payment pauses. Upon inquiring with X’s AI assistant, Grok, they received confirmation that the platform had halted payouts due to violations, including low-effort spam, engagement farming, and attempts to manipulate the app’s algorithms.

The suspensions seem to be related to courses that taught creators how to manipulate X’s monetisation system. Several users on the platform reported that one person was charging ₦3,000 to teach tactics for artificially increasing impressions and engagement metrics.

The goal was to help people qualify for and maximise their revenue payouts.

Some users tried to manipulate the system

X’s Creator Revenue Sharing program pays users based on engagement from verified subscribers, primarily through impressions on replies and comments. The program has become a significant income source for Nigerian creators, with some earning hundreds of dollars monthly.

But as the program grew, so did attempts to exploit it. Users began sharing systems for manipulating and maximising impressions, some legitimate, others crossing into manipulation. The alleged courses took this further, packaging strategies specifically designed to trick the algorithm into overvaluing low-quality content.

The systems eventually caught on. The platform uses machine learning to analyse billions of posts and can detect patterns indicating artificial engagement or content designed purely to farm impressions rather than provide genuine value. Once flagged, accounts get suspended from monetisation pending review.

Who is responsible?

Nigerian creators are pointing fingers at a user identified as @sirdavidbent, who allegedly sold the monetisation courses.

“The guy is selling monetisation courses on X for 3k,” one user wrote, blaming the suspensions on widespread adoption of the gaming tactics being taught.

Another creator noted the obvious problem with trying to outsmart the app’s systems: “You can’t outsmart a machine designed specifically to analyse you. It reads millions of messages per hour. It will find you out on closer inspection.”

Not everyone agrees that the courses are the sole cause. Some creators argue that anyone caught manipulating the system deserves suspension regardless of where they learned the tactics.

“I don’t know why people can’t be content with whatever Elon gives them,” one user wrote, noting he was happy earning $15 every two weeks before suspensions hit.

X hasn’t issued an official statement on the Nigerian suspensions, and the 80-90% figure remains unconfirmed by the company. Grok advised affected creators to check their dashboards and file appeals through X support, noting that some accounts suspended in error have been reinstated after review.

For now, Nigerian creators who relied on the app’s payouts are left waiting to see if their appeals succeed or if their monetisation privileges are permanently revoked.

Read also: Grok: X to limit how users edit images of real people after international backlash

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