By Fola James
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI has lamented the huge loss to federal government’s tsuspension of micro-blogging site. Twitter. The Chamber said businesses in the country lost a whopping N10 trillion to the seven months ban. The Buhari administration, on Monday, lifted the ban on the social media platform, saying Twitter has agreed to comply with all its demands, including opening an operational office in the country.
Festus Keyamo, the minister of Labour, said after the suspension that the country is better off now that the micro-blogging site has agreed go operare wighin the nation’s extant laws. Keyamo said, “for those who prioritised politics over patriotism and exhibited disingenuous righteousness on Twitter suspension, they can now see that with all the FG conditions to which Twitter agreed, Nigeria is eventually better off for it. Congratulations Nigeria.”
Kashifu Inusa Abdullahi, the Chairman, Technical Committee, Nigeria Twitter Engagement and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu had on Wednesday, disclosed in a statement, that the federal government lifted the suspension after recommendations by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.
The statement read: “The Federal Government of Nigeria directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12a.m. of 13th January, 2022.
“The approval was given following a memo written to the president by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the memo, the minister updates and requests the president’s approval for the lifting based on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, Nigeria-Twitter Engagement.
“You may recall that on 5th June 2021, the Federal Government suspended the operation of Twitter through an announcement made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Thereafter, the president constituted a seven-man presidential committee to engage Twitter Inc.
“Subsequently, in its wisdom, the committee set up a 20-member technical committee comprising all relevant government agencies. The committee engaged and worked directly with the Twitter team.
“The immediate and remote cause of the suspension was the unceasing use of the platform by some unscrupulous elements for subversive purposes and criminal activities, propagating fake news and polarising Nigerians along tribal and religious lines.”
But speaking on the financial loss to the suspension, the Director-General of the LCCI, Dr. Chinyere Almona, urged the Federal Government to create an enabling regulatory environment and supports for global technology companies to thrive.
Almona said, “the Federal Government’s press statement conveying the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria is well received and commendable. In business terms, the cost of the seven-month shutdown of Twitter operations in Nigeria is estimated to be N10.72 trillion (26.1billion dollars) according to Netblock’s Cost of Shutdown Tool.”
She explained that digital platforms have become a viable tool for business operators and individuls to reach their diverse audiences across the world.
“Currently, the Information and Communications Technology sector is one of the growth drivers in the economy even as we see additional activities of digital platforms adding more potential to the sector.
“We, therefore, urge the government to create an enabling regulatory environment that supports global technology companies in achieving their potential and are sustainably profitable,” she said, adding that improving Nigeria’s digital infrastructure from a policy perspective would boost healthcare delivery, agric-technology, learning, e-governance, and fintech,” she said.
