Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has asked the Federal Government to lift the suspension on Twitter in Nigeria because of its adverse effect on the country’s global image and economic operations of Nigerian businesses.
Government ordered telecommunications firms to restrict use of twitter by their subscribers following a deletion of President Muhammadu’s controversial tweet on the platform bybthr owners.
The President had warned “those misbehaving” by causing insecurity in the Southeast that he would not hesitate to “treat them in the language they understand”, and obvious to the Nigeria/Biafra war in which over three million lives were lost as the then Eastern Region of the country sought independence and creation of a new country – Biafra.
Responding to the suspension of Twitter operations, Governor Makinde reminded the government that the social media platform had gone beyond mere communication tool, but a source of livelihood for millions of Nigerians irrespective of their political or religious inclinations.
According to the Governor: “It has become imperative for me to release a statement regarding the suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government.
“As leaders, we should go beyond emotional reactions to issues and think about how our actions will affect the people we lead and our international ratings socially and economically.
“Twitter has become the platform for young people and indeed all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish an opinion.
“They use the platform to complain, argue and give feedback to government and its agencies who in turn, use these to improve policies. This is a fundamental point that should be kept in mind as we debate the necessity of this suspension.
“We should also remember that Twitter has gone beyond a source of communication for many of our hardworking youths in Nigeria. It has become a source of livelihood for many, irrespective of their political affiliations or religious leanings.
“Nigerian youths and digital communications organisations earn a living from being able to use the platform to post communications on behalf of their clients.
“Others who may not have physical stores also rely on Twitter to give visibility to their products and services.
“Furthermore, I believe the Federal Government should be actively interested in how certain policies and action will affect investor confidence.
“I, therefore, use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to reverse this suspension for the greater good of Nigerians.”
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