Twitter, a source of livelihood for many Nigerian youths – Makinde

 

Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has described the microblogging social media platform Twitter as a source of livelihood for many Nigerian youths, warning that its ban by Nigerian government would be counter-productive.

RELIABLESOURCENG.COM had reported that Nigeria’s government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari had responded to the removal of the president’s tweet by Twitter with a ban on the operations of the company in Nigeria, on Friday. The president’s tweet was judged as violating Twitter rule.

Twitter further removed a video posted by the president bearing the same offensive tweet.

Both the tweet and video were widely condemned by Nigerians and civil society groups, including Amnesty International, for instigating genocide against Nigerians, especially in the South-east part of the country.

Makinde, in a statement on Saturday he personally signed, urged the federal government to rescind its decision as it was likely to erode investors’ confidence in the country.

The governor’s statement read: “It has become imperative for me to release a statement regarding the suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government.

READ: FG suspends Twitter operations in Nigeria

READ: Twitter deletes Buhari’s tweet for violating rule

“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.”