Governor, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged the Federal Government to reverse its suspension of microblogging site, Twitter, stating that the platform has become a profitable one for Nigerian youths who make a living via the platform.
Makinde made this known in a statement on Saturday titled, ‘Statement by Governor Seyi Makinde Regarding the Suspension of Twitter’s Operations in Nigeria by the Federal Government’.
Recall that Twitter had on Tuesday pulled down the genocidal tweet targeted at Igbos by President Muhammadu Buhari. The social media giant stated that the tweet infringed its policy.
Subsequently, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension of Twitter on Friday, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
In his statement, Makinde said:
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.
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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.
