• One thing about the Buhari government is that it’s never met a problem it can’t ban. It doesn’t matter if it’s souvenirs at government events or a social media company that won’t allow the president tweet whatever he wants.

    Social media regulation is coming back

    The government’s hard-on for banning or censoring things was what informed the ill-fated attempts to pass anti-social media bills, to regulate the spaces where Nigerians more freely express themselves. Those attempts have failed so far, but the Buhari government works harder than the devil so it’s no surprise there’s a new attempt.

    Social media regulation is coming back

    While Nigerians celebrated June 13th, 2022, as a public holiday in honour of the June 12th democracy day, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) made an announcement. This announcement was about a draft document for the Code of Practice for Interactive Computer Service Platforms/Internet Intermediaries and Conditions for Operating in Nigeria. It’s quite a mouthful, but the summary of it is, “Attention kids, we have some brand new rules for online platforms in Nigeria.”

    Social media regulation is coming back

    Before diving into the meat of the government’s ransom demands, it’s important to note that much of the code is targeting the spread of “prohibited material” online. But what are prohibited materials according to this document? The list covers things that violate public interest, morality, order, security, peace and the rule of law. So…pretty much anything. Prohibited material could be amala slander, or calling the president an incompetent travel blogger.

    Social media regulation is coming back

    Doesn’t matter if it’s a naming ceremony in Djibouti or a youth conference in Iceland, Bubu loves a good reason to travel.

    So, what are these new rules that look like social media regulation, you ask?

    NITDA wants online platforms to snitch on users

    Sure, this snitching won’t happen without a court order (wink, wink), but online platforms are to provide any information to assist government agencies investigate and prosecute users. It wouldn’t matter if your Twitter handle is @precious_catfish76432, Twitter would have to hand over all that backend identifying information you don’t know they have.

    24-hour order to delete “prohibited material”

    If you post online that “Pounded yam is the most overrated swallow in the world”, and a Nigerian government agency flags it as unlawful content (and, let’s face it, we all know you’re lying here), the online platform is obligated to delete that post within 24 hours. Any information deemed to have violated Nigerian law gets the chop.

    The government wants to slide directly into the DMs to moan complain

    Social media regulation is coming back

    The NITDA code also mandates online platforms to open up dedicated channels for government agencies to directly lodge complaints on content deemed to be unlawful or harmful to others. These platforms also need to write their findings and resolutions of complaints to the complainant.

    ALSO READ: Lai Mohammed Is Itching to Give Facebook the Twitter Treatment

    NITDA wants verification powers

    Social media regulation is coming back

    NITDA also wants the online platforms operating in Nigeria to give it the power to verify official government accounts. The agency wants to reserve the right to grant or withdraw approval of verification and dictate action to the platforms.

    Physical presence

    The government is mandating the physical presence of online platforms operating in the country. This includes registering as a legal entity and appointing a designated country representative so they know whose shirt to hold when a platform disobeys orders from above.

    Media education for users

    Social media regulation is coming back

    The government also compels the online platforms to conduct media literacy programmes, educating users on critical thinking and informed decisions when they encounter false information online. Okay, maybe this one isn’t so bad because we need to know how to spot misinformation, disinformation and mass-report lies like this:

    What’s the danger of the NITDA Code?

    Like all of the previous attempts at social media regulation in Nigeria, the NITDA Code is another vessel to undermine citizen engagement in the final frontiers where government control is limited. The blanket definition of terms like “prohibited material” gives the government an undue advantage to further suppress the freedom of speech in Nigeria. This code affects platforms like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Google.

    What can Nigerians do?

    Resist. The NITDA Code is still a draft copy for the public to review and offer feedback. You can email NITDA at info@nitda.gov.ng to give them constructive feedback. Before the code becomes operational, you can also contact your National Assembly representatives here and compel them to move a motion on the topic in the chambers. Your freedom to continue to say “Buhari has been a bad boy” depends on this repackaged social media regulation bill ending in the dustbin.

    ALSO READ: 5 Nigerians Laws That Shouldn’t Exist

  • The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, doesn’t shy away from a fight. And as the mouthpiece of the Buhari administration, there’s an abundance of battles to always keep him engaged. His job is to assure everyone that the country is running smoothly even when the inflation rate is skyrocketing, and insecurity is taking more dangerous dimensions

    Lai Mohammed is also the kind of guy to spearhead a campaign like denying the Lekki massacre or justifying why the government would ban Twitter for deleting the president’s tweet.

    On May 17th 2022, the minister called for a meeting with Facebook. You may remember the app as Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild. Mohammed had one thing on his agenda for this meeting: the online activity of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). 

    Quick Take: What’s IPOB?

    IPOB is responsible for why Lai Mohammed is frowning at Facebook

    IPOB is a pressure group fighting for the separation of the South-East region from the rest of Nigeria. The government declared the group a terrorist organisation in 2017, shortly after IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, jumped bail and escaped abroad while facing trial for treasonable felony. Nigeria re-arrested him in 2021 and he’s back in the country facing a prolonged trial.

    IPOB is responsible for why Lai Mohammed is frowning at Facebook

    The Nigerian government has blamed IPOB for the escalation of violent acts that have recently plagued the South-East region. The group has used social media to coordinate its messaging with influential supporters abroad egging those in Nigeria on to commit criminal acts in order to pressure the government.

    The BBC recently published an investigation that revealed IPOB supporters abroad are using Facebook particularly to spread hate speech and disinformation. They routinely use the app to spread broadcasts preaching violence against the targets of their conspiracy theories. They also sometimes switch into local languages to avoid moderation from social media platforms like Facebook. 

    ALSO READ: How Are Nigerians Dealing With NIN-SIM Ban?

    Rewind: Twitter ban

    The Nigerian government banned Twitter in June 2021, days after the app deleted a careless tweet by President Buhari. To throw the scent off the real reason for the ban, the government claimed it was a measure to safeguard Nigeria’s national security. Apparently, one of the government’s security concerns included Twitter’s refusal to censor Nnamdi Kanu’s account despite his posts instigating violence against Nigerian security officers in the South-East before his arrest. That justification is now resurfacing and could also be used to whip Facebook.

    IPOB is responsible for why Lai Mohammed is frowning at Facebook

    Lai Mohammed’s tango with Facebook

    At the May 17th 2022 meeting, Lai Mohammed complained that Facebook isn’t taking the Nigerian government seriously enough. The government has filed numerous reports against IPOB accounts, but he said Facebook aired these reports. The minister believes Facebook’s tactics against IPOB’s spread of hate speech are “totally ineffective”. Essentially, he gave Facebook an F9.

    At the conclusion of the meeting, Lai Mohammed warned that the government will continue to watch Facebook to ensure compliance with the demands made to censor IPOB and other bad-faith actors in Nigeria. The minister said all he wants is the responsible use of social media in the country. He also accused critics of always misinterpreting his campaign as an attempt to suppress free speech.

    The Twitter ban was partly an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of media platforms operating in Nigeria. If Lai Mohammed’s warnings are to be taken seriously, the breakfast is about to move onto Facebook’s table.

    IPOB is responsible for why Lai Mohammed is frowning at Facebook

    ALSO READ: Buhari’s Weirdest Decisions We Thought Were April Fool’s Day Jokes But Weren’t

  • Leadership is hard. Being the president of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country of over 200 million people like Nigeria must be even harder. So, maybe we have some sympathy for whoever dares to occupy that seat.

    But there are certain actions that presidents take that make us scratch our heads, wondering if they’re being serious or messing with us like it’s April Fool’s Day. 

    President Buhari is no stranger to making some of these baffling decisions and leaving Nigerians caught in a confused state of crying and laughing. 

    For April Fool’s Day, we compiled some of President Bubu’s decisions that should have stayed in the drafts.

    Twitter ban

    All Twitter did was delete an offensive tweet that Lord Commander Buhari tweeted on his account, and he went into 48 Laws of Power mode to suspend the social media service in June 2021. 

    Buhari and April Fool's Day jokes

    Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally

    Buhari lifted the suspension in January 2022 but has refused to tweet on his personal account. All that aggression for what?

    Cutting down trees to fight dollars

    One of Buhari’s most defining battles as president in the past seven years has been to defend the dignity of the naira against the dollar. He’s not doing a great job because $1 was ₦197 when he assumed office in May 2015, but $1 is now ₦416 in 2022. However, his failure to arrest the decline of the naira doesn’t mean he hasn’t put up a spirited fight because he once cut down trees to make the naira valuable. 

    Buhari and April Fool's Day jokes

    What did these trees in Abuja do to harm the naira? Well, they provided shed for money changers who were selling dollars at black market rates considered to be harmful to the value of the naira.

    Closure of land borders

    Supreme Leader Bubu woke up one morning in August 2019 and ordered that Nigeria’s land borders be shut down, because of rice. The man took “There’s rice at home” too literally and crippled international trade with neighbouring countries because he wanted to stop the smuggling of foreign rice into Nigeria. 

    Buhari and April Fool's Day jokes

    Immediately the borders were shut, the inflation rate increased consistently for the next 19 months. Buhari approved the reopening of the land borders in December 2020 and has said that the policy failed, but that it also succeeded. There’s a set-up for a good joke here, but we’re not great at the comedy thing like the president.

    ALSO READ: Why’s Everyone Fighting Over Section 84 of the Electoral Act?

    Amnesty for Boko Haram terrorists

    Buhari and April Fool's Day jokes

    There’s a Nigerian tailor making a killing every time Boko Haram members graduate as “repentant” terrorists

    Boko Haram terrorists are directly responsible for the death of around 35,000 people and the displacement of more than two million people since 2009. A 2021 report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) noted that the terrorists’ activities have indirectly led to 314,000 additional deaths.

    Yet, Buhari in his wisdom started a rehabilitation programme called Operation Safe Corridor for terrorists to surrender in exchange for amnesty. More than 1,000 former “repentant” terrorists have graduated from this programme and have been reintegrated back into society, and more than 35,000 are waiting in line

    Buhari and April Fool's Day jokes

    ALSO READ: How Buhari Has Freed 1,629 “Repentant” Boko Haram Members

    Despite the international support that the rehabilitation programme has, local support has been impossible to get. The still terrorised communities that have to embrace these supposedly-repentant terrorists have especially not been very welcoming. Some of these communities have asked Buhari to host the “repentant” terrorists at Aso Rock instead. That’s not an unreasonable demand.

    Souvenir killjoy

    “Buhari bans souvenirs at government events” is not a headline that made the rounds enough, but that’s something the president did in 2016. Buhari banned Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) from buying and distributing bags, t-shirts and other souvenirs at events such as conferences and seminars. He did this to cut down on government spending. 

    Seeing as Nigerians love to party, we assume the MDAs received Buhari’s memo, laughed it off as an April Fool’s Day joke and ordered more rechargeable mini hand fans to distribute at the next government owambe.

    ALSO READ: The Motion: Should First-Class Graduates Get Automatic Government Jobs?

  • After seven months of fasting, trials, and tribulations, we can finally log on to Paraga’s app without VPNs? Brothers and sisters, this right here, is what we call a miracle. Could all of this have been avoided if Bubu had just unlooked and focused on borrowing more money? Yes. But like Michael Jackson said, “They don’t really care about us.” To celebrate our “legal” return to Twitter streets, we’ve decided to compile memes that accurately describe the situation in the country now that the ban has been lifted.

    1. People who just renewed their VPN subscription looking at the rest of us celebrate

    So some of you were paying for VPN? It’s giving wealth and opulence. What happened to free VPN, dears? Well, sorry for your loss sha.

    2. Banks, brands and other government compliant agencies getting ready to hit the Twitter streets

    They’ve already started posting cringe TikTok challenges. Must affliction rise again? Please, focus on responding to your customers on time. We don’t pay you to dance.

    3. Nigerians returning from all the countries VPN took them to

    Who said you can’t travel without visa? Call them a detty liar and tell them about all the trips you took thanks to your VPN. If there’s one thing we’ll miss about the ban, it’s the way we were confusing other countries’ Twitter trends during the height of BBNaija. Good times.

    4. What the Nigerian government thought we would do, but we have coconut heads

    Beg? Nigerian youths? It’s like they don’t know who we are. Give us fire, and we will use it to turn semo.

    5. Our followers increasing out of nowhere

    Please, why are all of you following us? We know we are funny and the most happening babes in town, but this increase feels a bit suspicious. We are sleeping with one eye opened.

    6. A visual of us trying to revive our phone batteries after months of VPN suffering

    Ayomide, rise, don’t waste my money.

    7. Nigerian police after they realize they can’t harass because of Twitter anymore

    I guess it’s time to go back to tattoos and dreadlocks.

    8. Nigerian politicians ready to begin another round of detty lies

    We see you. We know you. We won’t vote for you.

    9. Customer service agents knowing that they’ve entered one chance

    You guys were not picking our calls. Well, Twitter is back and we can drag your companies by their dirty undies in public. Get ready to start responding to tweets with “Hi Sola, how may we help you?”

    10. Nigerians celebrating freedom from VPN even though we know this is decision was an campaign tactic

    We know what they’re doing, but we still celebrate regardless because we have been in the trenches for too long.

  • We don’t care if you enjoy sex or not. The damage caused by that act is enough and it is time for the government to abolish sex in Nigeria. Here are 11 good reasons why this must happen ASAP.

    1. Sex brings pregnancy.

    Be honest with yourself, do you want pregnancy at this time?

    2. Pregnancy brings babies, and babies steal your peace of mind.

    Osuwon 2 Latest Yoruba Movie 2020 Drama Starring Femi Adebayo | Mide  Abiodun - YouTube

    And then the child grows up to hate you, despite everything you did for them. Is this how you want your life to go?

    3. Sex makes you confused. You start wondering if it’s love you are feeling.

    And like this, they will take you for an idiot. You will begin to condone nonsense in the name of love. We don’t want that for you, so we all need to come together to beg the government to ban this act.

    4. Sex is too sweet.

    And we all know doctors and dentists don’t recommend things that are too sweet. So, it’s best to choose health over hot fok.

    5. Sex is messy and sweaty.

    Imagine bathing and smelling nice, only to be rough handled by someone and getting their saliva in your mouth and their sweat all over your body? Imagine getting your hair scattered, and your legs spread apart like a television’s antenna? God forbid abeg. We need to ban such a dirty act.

    6. Let’s be honest, sex is unproductive use of our time.

    Time you should be using to harvest yam and better your lives or advancing in your career, you are using it to bend over or get bent over while someone is grabbi— Oh no, this act deserves to be abolished.

    7. All the heat from hot fok is causing global warming.

    hot fork by HotAntenni on DeviantArt

    Global warming is a serious environmental crisis. Why must you choose to damage your environment because of hot fok? Do you not care about survival?

    8. Sex is the leading cause of cheating in Nigeria.

    Yes. Yes. Yes. The earlier we abolish sex, the longer relationships and marriages last.

    9. Our population is already plenty enough.

    Gosiame Thamara Sithole no born 10 babies, multiple pregnancy cause - BBC  News Pidgin

    We need a moratorium on sex until things normalise. We cannot afford to lapse into overpopulation.

    10. Sex makes people scream “Jesus” and “Oh my God”

    First of all, do you nasty sinners not fear anything? What if your noise encourages our creator to hasten His second coming?

    11. Buhari was angry that all we use Twitter for is sex, so he banned it.

    Abolish sex today so we can get Twitter back today.

    [donation]

  • We have written about some of the ways the Twitter ban affects Nigerians. Here’s a list of the ways the ban affects Nigerian women. It will affect their access to:

    Twitter ban affects women

    1. Learning opportunities

    Twitter has always been a source of information to many women. In an article published yesterday, some women talked about how they learnt about feminism on Twitter. Twitter also provides a space to unlearn harmful ideas such as toxic relationship ideals. 

    2. Support from other women

    Twitter also provides Nigerian women with support they would otherwise not have access to. For example, women can reach out to non-government organiszations like Stand To End Rape and the Consent Workshop on Twitter for sexual harrassmemnt cases; The Initiative For Equal Rights for queer women. Mental health care organizations like Mentally Aware Nigeria and She Writes Women are also easily accessible on Twitter. 

    3. Community 

    Many communities for women were built on Twitter because of its real-time communication feature. The protests against gender-based violence that broke  out in June 2020 started and was organised on Twitter. 

    Many women talk about how they have made friends who have turned into family on Twitter.

    4. Some form of justice 

    Over the past few years, Nigerian women have used Twitter to call out abusers and rapists as the justice system often dismisses cases of violence against women as minor issues or family disputes. 

    5. Job opportunities 

    Many Nigerian women have found jobs on Twitter, simply by replying to a tweet or by cold emailing a founder to offer their services. Scholarship opportunities as well as creative workshop opportunities are also easily available on Twitter. 

    6. A space to raise awareness for women centred causes 

    Twitter has been a space to raise awareness for causes that concern women such as gender based violence, endometriosis, cervical cancer, postpartum depression and even less known symptoms of pregnancy. 

    7. Business 

    Nigerian women like other people around the world sell their products on Twitter. Some women combine Twitter with other social media platforms while others prefer the control using one platform gives them. With the Twitter ban, many of them have stopped tweeting and have had to chase alternative means to generate revenue. 

    Subscribe to our HER newsletter for more stories about African women and how they navigate life.

  • Amongst the other things Twitter is to people — the source of information and access to opportunities, it is also a place to find the love of your life. In this article, eight Nigerian women talk about meeting their partners on Twitter. 

    partners on Twitter

    Lili 

    My partner and I started talking on Twitter in 2016. He tweeted something about being irreligious and I found it ludicrous. I messaged him for his number and we started talking. We met for the first time at a creative event and remained friends. We slowly went from talking once in a while to talking every day. Occasional hangouts followed, and by January 2019 we had started dating. 

    Amaka

    My boyfriend and I had been following each other for a while, but I don’t think we ever interacted until last year. One day, I tweeted that I needed a plug for something and he sent me a vendor’s contact. 

    A few months later, I deactivated my account because life was being a bitch. He noticed I was gone for a while and when I returned, he messaged me to check in. Checking in turned to hours on the phone. We both love music so we would listen to music together over the phone via Spotify’s group session

    A week later, we decided to meet in person. The morning of the meeting, he told me he liked me and I responded, “Oh, you do? I had absolutely no idea. It’s not like we spent hours on the phone depriving each other of sleep like we don’t have work.” That weekend was the best weekend I had had in a while. We started dating a month later and we are 10 months in now. 

    Omegie

    I had given up trying to find a partner in real life and I felt like Twitter would be a better place to find love. I thought I could easily find people like myself whose values aligned with mine. My partner and I met in March. She wasn’t active on Twitter but we had interacted a few times. One day, I tweeted, “Like this tweet and I will tell you what I think about you.” She liked it and I messaged.  We immediately clicked in a way I hadn’t with anyone else before. We moved to WhatsApp and started doing video calls. We officially started dating in May. Sometimes, I wish we met in real life because Twitter is where I hide from reality. I tweet all my thoughts unguarded so her having access to that makes me feel watched but she’s reasonable and understanding. We hardly interact on the timeline and I think that’s because we have a lot of other platforms that we talk more on. I go through our old Twitter chats when I need something to smile about. 

    Layo 

    My boyfriend and I went to the same primary school. We weren’t in the same set, so we weren’t in contact. One day, a video of him went viral and I messaged him to ask if he went to our primary school. He said yes and that’s how we started talking. We met a couple of times and it’s been great ever since.

    Nene 

    Before my partner and I started dating, I had been seeing her tweets. She looked hot and seemed to have sense but I wasn’t sure she was queer. 

    One day, I texted her to say she looked familiar and that she is really cute. It turned out her sister and I went to school together. I thought it would be a turn off for her but it wasn’t. We kept talking and two weeks later, we went out together. That day, I realized that she was someone I didn’t want to ever be without. Every day, I experience love in new ways with her. It feels good to watch myself change positively. 

    Ella 

    When I relocated to his state, I put up a tweet asking people in that state to like it. He did that and commented. That’s how we became friends. Although we hit it off, we had no intentions of dating. This changed when we met a month ago and realized that we were in love. We have been dating for a few weeks.

    Memuna

    Twitter suggested my account to my husband for him to follow. He said he looked at my profile picture and read my blog before following me. I saw his profile picture, and I followed back. He messaged to say hello and that’s how we started chatting every day.

    We met up a few weeks later and it went well. We started dating shortly after. Now, we are married with two kids. 

    Ife 

    I followed my boyfriend on Twitter. His bio at the time was, “I am a lot of things.” I messaged him asking him to share some of the things he was. His reply was funny and the conversation continued. We talked off and on for about eight months. We started talking about feelings in January 2020. By February, we started dating.

    Subscribe to our HER newsletter for more stories about African women and how they navigate life.

  • Twitter Ban: The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, in a statement issued today has ordered all Nigerian broadcasting stations to delete their Twitter accounts.

    The letter to the broadcasting organisations terms it as “unpatriotic” for any broadcaster in Nigeria to continue to use Twitter as a source of information gathering and dissemination in Nigeria.

    Different variations of the letter exist, but they typically say the same thing.

    See for yourself:

    Twitter Ban
    Twitter Ban

    Twitter Ban: Just in case you’re out of the loop:

    On June 4, 2021, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced through a Twitter thread that it had indefinitely suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria. The suspension came after Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, “announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

    On June 5, 2021, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami directed that people violating the Twitter ban should immediately be prosecuted.

    Here’s why we think the Twitter ban is unconstitutional.


  • The Twitter ban in Nigeria affects Nigerians in many different ways. From business owners to already marginalised groups. So, these seven Nigerians talk about how the Twitter ban in Nigeria affects their mental health.

    Jane

    It’s just not the Twitter ban in Nigeria per se, it’s the general state of Nigeria. Everything about this country is so bad. The future is so uncertain because I don’t have the money to relocate. I am just anxious and I don’t know what is going to happen to all of us. I am not doing okay.

    Anita

    The ban is affecting me deeply. I usually open this app impulsively to just say whatever is on my mind and to vent, but I can’t do that anymore. The VPN is messing with my other apps, so it is like a tiny inconvenience that’s giving me a serious tension headache.

    Peace

    I’m fully aware of the fact that this country will move mad and I need to get the fuck out of here with immediate alacrity because one small declaration can destabilise my entire life. I have three remote jobs. An internet shutdown means I’d be unable to work, and I might lose my job or lose hours ( I charge per hour) and my employers would be unable to trust that I can do the job, through no fault of mine.

    I’m literally scared. Freedom of speech is so important – I even have an entire business and product I’m building around it and plan to launch in 2022. It would wreck all my sources of income.

    Tolu

    The fact that the possibility of being able to japa for my family is ridiculously low has me stressed. I’m scared and I’ve been upset at my parents because when we had the opportunity to leave, my dad turned it down. Now, we’re here.

    Amaka

    My parents are not urgent about leaving, and I feel like I’m being paranoid or overreacting. We can leave if we want to, but they’re just praying for the best and whatnot. It stresses me out.

    Kunle

    It’s definitely made me more agitated. Now that there’s a Twitter ban in Nigeria, I’m constantly worrying about what they are going to come for next. I’m worried that if we lose Twitter, we’ve lost all our free speech. Twitter is the only place we can disseminate information without any arbitrary regulatory body sanctioning us. I’m very scared of what will come next.

    Daniel

    Before the Twitter ban, I was on a Twitter cleanse because I was spending too much time on the app. I also work a lot on Twitter so I needed to get off the app. Since I was already off for a few weeks, the ban didn’t affect me in the sense that they were taking something I needed away from me. It affected me in the sense that I’m actually in Nigeria where a minister can order that the people’s rights be taken from them and the order will be executed. It’s scary.

    For more on what goes on inside the life, please click here


    [donation]

  • First of all, let’s start by seeing that the Nigerian government banning Twitter during Pride month is possibly peak homophobia. Twitter has been a digital safe space for queer Nigerians and has provided them with a community, which is commendable considering how much the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act fractured the queer community and social life.

    Today, as we wait for further news on the Twitter ban in Nigeria, we’re celebrating Pride Month by speaking to five Nigerians about how Twitter has helped changed their lives.

    Ore, 20.
    I realized I was non-binary through Twitter. I thought I was just a very fem gay boy for a long time. It was when I joined Twitter and met people that I learned what it means to be cis or trans. Twitter walked me through my transition, the name change, moving to a new apartment, and everything else. I probably never would’ve known what it is like to be comfortable in my skin.

    Peter, 26.
    I met my partner on Twitter and best friends on Twitter. I didn’t have a community in any way for a long time until I discovered the queer side of Twitter. It’s funny but straight people don’t realize how essential having a community is to a person’s quality of life. Twitter gave me a community.

    Eunice, 25.
    I got sexually assaulted almost two years ago by someone who wanted to ‘cure me of lesbianism’. I didn’t know what to do because if I told my family, they would just blame me. So I tweeted about it and a girl who works for an NGO DMed me. She gave me directions on how to get medical help and sent me money. When I explained that it was a case of corrective rape, she helped me make security plans and eventually to transfer to a different university.

    George, 22.
    In 2019, I got fired from my job because my boss discovered I was gay by seeing my Twitter account. When I shared that on Twitter, people surrounded me and showered me with love. Someone also gave me connections with a company to join as their intern which I did, now I’m a full staff. That was only possible because of Twitter.

    Benny, 23.
    I came out to my parents late last year and I thought they would be supportive. However, they weren’t and became bullies. They bullied me and even called a pastor to come and pray for me. I asked someone to create and share a GoFundMe page for me on Twitter. They did, and that was how I got enough money to leave my parents home and enough to survive on till I found my feet.

    • Names have been changed for the sake of privacy.