The microblogging platform, Twitter, has assured Nigerians that it has not stopped engaging with the government on ways to resolve its ban in the country.
The ban which entered 100 days, yesterday has made the economy lose as much as N246 billion.
According to The Guardian, Twitter spokesperson, said : “We continue to engage with the Nigerian government to discuss why Twitter has been blocked and ways to resolve the matter. We are committed to charting a path forward to the restoration of Twitter for everyone in Nigeria. Discussions with the Nigerian government have been respectful and productive. We look forward to seeing the service restored very soon.”
At a press conference they hosted on Monday, social enterprise groups (Enough Is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) said the impact of the ban on the Nigeria economy has been phenomenal. They lamented that many advertisers and Twitter-based businesses are out of operations as a result of the embargo.
They unanimously called on the Federal Government to refrain from actions that put Nigeria among nations that infringe on citizens’ fundamental and socio-economic rights.
Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan, stated that the ban impacted the revenue projections of many businesses. He said Twitter did not only lose market share but also advert revenues and other benefits its huge numbers in Nigeria gave it. He said top politicians were still tweeting, routing their accounts through Virtual Private Networks (VPN) where the benefits will not accrue to the country. He further described the ban as misplaced priority amid critical issues facing the country.
EiE Nigeria Executive, ‘Yemi Adamolekun, said: “For the government to constantly shy from pertinent issues such as security, unemployment, and blame a platform for allowing people to express their dissatisfaction is pure laziness and shows they are not ready to solve these issues.”
He also noted that the ban is a disservice to both the government and its citizens.
