By Prince Osuagwu

After losing over N39 billion in the 18 days Federal government kept twitter activities in Nigeria under lock and key, President Muhammadu Buhari has agreed to open discussion on the impasse.

He approved a team of government officials who will engage with Twitter over the recent suspension of its operations to find a common ground. Federal government announced last week that the microblogging platform had requested for the jaw-jaw through writing.

The Federal Government’s team also comprises the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.

However, many Nigerians feel the dialogue comes a little too late as major damages have been done already considering that more than half of twitter users in Nigeria are still active on twitter despite the ban.

A tech engineer who spoke to Hi-Tech said: “Why Nigeria likes to do the right things after it had deliberately damaged the opportunity, is what baffles me. You ban twitter activities when the microblogging platform, actually had little or no activities here. The people who had and still have activities are twitter users who are mainly Nigerians, and with what I know, half, if not more than, are still tweeting both through VPN and the normal platform. Many businesses that are dependent on twitter to post return on investment which boosts the country’s economy have been destroyed within these 18 days and according to netblocks, the country has lost overN39 billion. So, what is the dialogue with twitter after all these colossal damages going to achieve?”

The Lagos-based tech expert who pleaded anonymity, said that what the federal government should have done initially was to summon twitter hierarchy and have a fruitful discussion with them and not a blanket ban which never scratched the economy of the microblogging site even on the surface.

Another player in the telecom sector said: “There is nothing wrong with dialogue, except that this one looks like administering medication on the dead. A lot of businesses have lost ground and the ban has lingered so long to the detriment of the country. But if the outcome of the dialogue will bring a better future, fine. But that is left to be seen” he added

 Nigeria, on June 4, suspended activities of Twitter in Nigeria over what minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed described as “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The ban has attracted hue and cry from prominent Nigerians who feel the action was an attack on free speech.

Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, Babajide Sanwo Olu of Lagos, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Peoples Democractic Party, PDP, The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Paradigm Initiatives of Nigeria, PIN, and SERAP are among notable people and organisations that have condemned the ban.

SERAP even got an injunction from ECOWAS court sitting in Abuja, restraining federal government from prosecuting any twitter user in Nigeria.

Flashback

The whole twitter saga began at a town hall meeting  convened by INEC with relevant stakeholders, to examine the likely effects of the activities of arsonists who have targeted several offices, facilities and equipment of INEC, particularly in the South East. President Buhari, had in response to the agitations for Biafra by IPOB activists, said:”Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian civil war. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”

The video of the statement circulated round with many people giving it different interpretations, mostly pointing to a veiled reference to the civil war that claimed millions of lives particularly in that part of the country.

Apparently relying on its safety rule which states: “Violence: You may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people. We also prohibit the glorification of violence,”   Twitter on June 2, deleted the post on its site.

In what many have described as retaliation,  the federal government   on May 4, suspended Twitter  operations in Nigeria.

Since that action, the country’s economy, according to Netblocks.org has lost over N39 billion. 

The platform said it relied on booking institution methods which relied on development indicators, approximated digital economy extent of 0.05 and classic free app GDP impact technique to arrive at its conclusion.

Being an artificial intelligent, AI- based study, Netblocks is popular and its statistics are almost perfect at all times.

Also, several small scale businesses, social media influencers whose services are heavily reliant on twitter, have continued to groan under the weight of economic meltdown.