Twitter Ban Means Nigeria Not Open For Investment – Yiaga Africa

A non – governmental organisation, Yiaga Africa, has condemned the decision of the Federal Government to suspend micro blogging platform, Twitter, saying the decision contravened democratic principles.

The organisation said the government’s directive that all Over-The-Top (OTT) services must be licensed by the National Broadcasting Commission(NBC) before they could operate within Nigeria had sent “a dangerous signal to the world that Nigeria is not open for investments, particularly in the technology and entertainment sector.”

According to the organisation, the suspension of Twitter services in Nigeria affirmed the “shrinking civic space in Nigeria.”

It asked the Federal Government to reverse the decision immediately and refrain from further assault on press freedom, freedom of expression and free speech.

In a statement by its Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, the organisation said: “To this end, we call on the Federal Government to reverse this decision immediately, and to refrain from further assault on press freedom, freedom of expression and free speech.

“The suspension of Twitter is antithetical to democratic principles and it portends great threat to the freedom of speech and expression. Twitter, as well as other social media platforms, has emerged as a veritable tool for fostering direct and deliberative democracy by providing a space for citizens to express their opinions, ask difficult questions and demand accountability from their leaders. Interestingly, the Nigerian government also employs the Twitter platform to engage with citizens on public policy matters.

“This decision coupled with the ill-thought-out policy directive on licensing of OTT platforms sends a dangerous signal to the world that Nigeria is not open for investments, particularly in the technology and entertainment sector.

“These two sectors have experienced steady growth in recent years and created value through job creation for young people and sustained exports from Nigeria.

“It is our considered opinion that the suspension of Twitter affirms the shrinking civic space in Nigeria. Democracy cannot thrive in an oppressed civic space where the government opposes any form of dissent or opposition and shuts down easy and accessible channels of communication at will.

“To this end, we call on the Federal Government to reverse this decision immediately and to refrain from further assault on press freedom, freedom of expression and free speech.

“Yiaga Africa urges other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc to continue to uphold their commitment to sanitising the digital ecosystem by eliminating all forms of hate and harmful content on their platforms regardless of the status of the individuals or groups utilising their platforms to propagate hate speech and misinformation.”