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  • On the 4th of June, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Nigerians from using Twitter. This came after Twitter deleted a threatening tweet posted by the Nigerian president. The implications of the Twitter ban in Nigeria is far reaching and would affect different segments of the Nigerian demographic in different ways.

    We decided to speak to a few business owners who run their business via social media, and specifically Twitter, about how this ban is affecting their business already or will affect their business and here’s what they said:

    Susan – Thrift Clothes Business

    The ban has already affected me even thought it just came into effect. I didn’t know about the ban until this morning. I was off Twitter all of yesterday. I was trying to log into my business Twitter all to no avail. At first, I thought Twitter was down or that they had suspended my account. When I mentioned it to a friend, they told me what had happened and helped me download VPN. Apparently, in the short time I was trying to log in to Twitter, a customer had sent me several DMs. Luckily, they understood why I wasn’t responding on time. I can’t imagine a world where I have to constantly use VPN before I access Twitter. I can already see it draining my battery all the time, which is annoying. I use Instagram too, but I’ve realised that a lot of my customers come from Twitter, so it’s really worrying to me.

    Olumide – PR Agent

    I own a music PR agency and I get most of my clients and traction from Twitter. I’m currently using VPN because I have a few deals to close. Imagine there was no VPN, just imagine. The country is a ticking time bomb, because imagine the amount I would’ve lost if there was no VPN. When will someone not carry gun?

    Liz – Fashion Business

    I haven’t fully processed what the Twitter ban means for my business, it’s really a lot to be honest.
    Apart from the free exposure from likes and RTs, Twitter really helped me gain customers when I started out my fashion business. I feel like I’ve already lost a sizeable portion of potential customers thanks to this ban. It’s going to be a lot harder to get customers or new orders if no one can even access the platform that helped us gain them in the first place. A lot of small businesses rely heavily on Twitter, and I guess the biggest thing is for us to restrategise and make use of the other platforms to reach new customers.

    Sola – Food Business

    The entire climate of the country has affected my business, not even just the Twitter ban. If my people don’t have money or are thinking about how to survive in this harsh, wicked government, is it snacks that they’ll be thinking about? The Twitter ban just made it worse. On weekends, we sell out. We have lots of orders. I have never seen a dry day like today, since maybe October. It’s tiring.

    Ewa – Jewelry Business

    I’ve tried not to think about it because, Twitter gave my business visibility. I first started on Instagram, ran ads multiple times but I got only one customer from there. But as soon as I started on Twitter, I’ve gotten more customers, plus I’m able to reach a lot more timelines just because of retweets and likes. This Twitter ban is just going to affect it all; if I’m not able to tweet about my business, how am I going to get customers ? People don’t even trust Instagram vendors anymore.

    Onome – Social Media Manager & Content Creator

    The Twitter ban is very upsetting because it’s affecting what my business is now. I am a content creator and a social media manager which means a lot of work is on Twitter and managing social media. I work for brands, manage their Twitter and Instagram. After the ban was announced, the office said to stop posting for Twitter because they didn’t want the brand to be caught disobeying Nigeria’s “law”. If this Twitter ban in Nigeria continues, I forsee social media managers losing their jobs. Imagine being a Twitter influencer without Twitter; of course you will go out of business because a major source of livelihood has been cut off. I just started having customers on Twitter after 4 years of putting in work. Now, what happens to it? There’s a lot of anxiety. Twitter is what helps you grow, where the interactions take place. Even people who follow you on Instagram find you on Twitter first. Once, someone told me she patronised me because she searched my handle on Twitter and found no bad reviews. If we are being honest, no other website can be like Twitter.

    Divine – Breakfast Business

    I graduated 2 years ago and after a year of unemployment, I started my breakfast business which functions 100% online. I started using Twitter to market my business and make sales. Twitter alone brought in over 65% of my profit which I’ve used to fend for myself and family. I have met a lot of investors who are ready to enlarge my business so as to create more employment for other people too. This Twitter ban in Nigeria would not only destroy my source of livelihood but also cut me off from potential investors. I am a responsible Nigerian graduate who is only trying to survive.

  • The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has directed that people violating the Twitter ban should immediately be prosecuted.

    Yesterday, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture 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.”

    Why should I be using Twitter Lists? | LikeMind Media

    Umar Gwandu, Malami’s spokesman, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘Twitter ban: Malami orders prosecution of offenders.’

    According to the statement, “Malami directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) to liaise with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, Nigerian Communications Commission and other relevant government agencies to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay.”

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  • On June 4, 2021, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture 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.”

    The censorship of Twitter by the Nigerian government has been termed by many as a blatant disregard of the constitutional provision of Fundamental Human Rights for Nigerians, an autocratic action in a democratic government, and something to be deeply worried about.

    Here’s why:

    The provision for the Fundamental Human Rights for Nigerians can be found in Chapter 4 of the Nigerian Constitution. Section 39, under this chapter, details our right to freedom of expression and the press, and Section 40, our right to peaceful assembly and association.

    Freedom of expression means that every Nigerian is “entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.” By using Twitter to express our opinions, we are expressing our freedom of expression. No government should take that away from its citizens.

    Section 40 states that “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons.” Nigerians socially gather on Twitter. Technology means that peaceful assembly and association don’t have to be physical. Nigerians are expressing their right to peaceful assembly by using Twitter. No government should take that away from its citizens.

    “But what happens when these rights are misused by the citizens?”

    There are cases where the government, in the best interest of the citizens and the country, temporarily override the fundamental human rights of the citizens.

    Here’s an example: Section 41 of the constitution provides Nigerians with the right to freedom of movement. Last year, there were a series of government imposed lockdowns because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Another example is the death penalty: We have the right to life, but if we decide to kill, then there’s a sentence, which takes away our own right to life.

    Does this mean that the government can decide to negate our rights whenever they want? The answer is no. Why?

    Section 45: Restriction on and derogation from fundamental human rights.

    Section 45 of the constitution states that our fundamental human rights are no longer “valid” if they’re against

    1. “The interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or
    2. The rights and freedom or other persons.”

    In these situations, there are due processes to follow, based on the principle of checks and balances between the arms of government. Derogations go through due processes, such as judicial checks and court approvals.

    So even if the Nigerian government wanted to infringe on our rights to expression, and peaceful assembly, by stating that our use of Twitter goes against public safety, public order, public morality, public health, or rights and freedom or other persons, they had to go through the judiciary – who are on a strike – and not just through the words of minister Lai Mohammed.

  • Bants aside, over the past 10 years, Twitter has grown to be a source of livelihood, companionship and information. This ban as declared by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has a ripple effect on millions of Nigerians. Here are six ways Nigerians will be affected by the ban: 

    Twitter Ban

    1. Business sales/conversions

    Many Nigerian small businesses use Twitter as their sole storefront while others combine efforts with other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. For smaller businesses, owning a Twitter account sidesteps the hassle of sourcing and renting a physical store. Bigger businesses use Twitter to update customers on new products and address immediate concerns about their product or service. With this ban, these businesses will be cut off from loyal users as well as potential markets. 

    2. Job opportunities

    Alongside the banter tweets across the timeline, tweets like this often go viral. 

    https://twitter.com/lara0gunt0mi/status/1355972230291857410?s=21

    Sometimes, these people come back to tweet that they got the job. Twitter has also been instrumental in calling out fake job opportunities. A Twitter ban curtails access to information like this. 

    3. Visibility

    Minorities which include smaller ethnic groups, the LGBTQ community, the differently-abled community and other underrepresented groups use Twitter to discuss issues that affect them. This helps them gain visibility and many times, help from random strangers on the internet. This also applies to atrocities committed by the government or criminal cases such as the Lekki Toll Gate Shooting or robbery hotspots across the country which might otherwise go without any demand for accountability. More recently, people tweet pictures of their missing loved ones in hopes that someone has some information about them. 

    4. Information

    Nigerian youth use Twitter as a source of news. As Television and radio compete with social media platforms and streaming services, Nigerian youth rely on Twitter as a source of information. Many Nigerian news platforms break news on their Twitter accounts. The government often uses Twitter to pass information across the country. Without Twitter, the government is more or less out of touch with its people. 

    5. Informal education

    Twitter is a good way to learn things you would otherwise not know. For example, many UX designers say they found UX design on Twitter alongside a community.

    Other times, it’s practical things like how to use a VPN. 

    6. Fundraising/ sourcing for help

    As the economy worsens, more and more Nigerians use Twitter to crowd raise funds for health purposes, academic purposes and sometimes even day to day survival. Many times, Twitter users have contributed enough money to see a family through distress. With a ban, such opportunities would be deprived of people who have no other alternatives. 

  • by Timinepre Cole

    On Friday, June 4 2021, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture announced the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria indefinitely.

    There are concerns that the ban is an attempt to restrict freedom of speech and expression because this is not the first time the government has done this. Here are seven other times since Nigeria’s independence in 1960 where the government has made a mockery of free speech.

    free speech

    1. 1967 — Imprisonment

    In 1967, Nigerian author Wole Soyinka was arrested and imprisoned for twenty-eight months for commenting about the state of the country shortly before the Biafran genocide.

    2. 1984 — Decree Number 4

    In 1984, Muhammad Buhari who was head of state at the time passed Decree Number 4, The Protection Against False Accusations Decree which criminalised publishing any statement or rumour that brought the government or any public officer to ridicule.

    3. 1986 — Assassination 

    In October 1986, Nigerian Journalist and editor-in-chief of the defunct Newswatch, Dele Giwa was assassinated by a letter bomb for exposing corrupt and illegal practices of the Nigerian government.

    4. 2016 — Cyber Security Law  

    In September 2016, several investigative journalists and bloggers were arrested, detained and charged under Nigeria’s Cyber Security Law with some of them being accused of criminal defamation.

    5. 2019 — Communications License Suspension

    In June 2019, the National Broadcasting Commission suspended the license of Daar Communication Plc, a media and entertainment company owned by Raymond Dokpesi, a principal member of the opposition party, PDP. The company was accused of airing inciting broadcasts and media propaganda against the government.  In the same month, State Security Services announced a crackdown on social media users for allegedly posting inciting materials threatening the stability of the country on the internet.

    6. 2019 — Anti-Social Media Bill

    In November 2019 the Nigerian senate proposed the Social Media Bill to restrict the use of social media in transmitting information. Though the bill has not been passed into law, it is another attempt to stifle free speech.

    7. 2020 — #ENDSARS Protests 

    In October 2020, after thousands of Nigerian youths protested online and offline, calling for an end to police harassment and brutality, the Central Bank of Nigeria froze the accounts of individuals publicly linked to the #EndSARS protest. Travel documents of some of the protesters were seized and some were arrested and charged for criminal incitement.

  • How to use VPN now that the Nigerian government has banned Twitter.

    how to use vpn

    On the 4th of June, 2021, the Nigerian government via a Twitter post announced that it would be banning Twitter. The news came almost 48 hours after Twitter deleted a tweet by the Nigerian president, President Muhammadu Buhari where he threatened Nigerians. Twitter deleted the post on Wednesday, saying it was abusive.

    Here’s what the deleted tweet said:

    “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”

    You can find the full thread here.

    In the Twitter ban announcement, the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication cited the persistent use of Twitter for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as the reason for the ban.

    Since the ban took effect, several Nigerian Twitter users have tried to process the news in different ways. One of which ways is using VPN to stay online in order to air grievances, discuss the illegality of the ban and how to move forward.

    How to use VPN

    A virtual private network gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. With the use of VPN, Twitter users can bypass the ban placed by the Nigerian government.

    Decide on the VPN you want to use.

    There are a bunch of VPN applications on the internet. Consider their price, speed, accessibility, ease of use, etc. After doing this, download the app and connect to one of several locations available.

    Other things to note:

    If you’re a creative who uses Fiverr for freelance work, please keep this in mind.

    https://twitter.com/gabyjamie/status/1401080060258439174?s=20

    Twitter users who also use Binance, a platform for trading various cryptocurrencies have also been advised to not use USA as their VPN location so as to block their Binance account.

    VPN uses a lot of battery, so if you can, only use VPN when you’re about to use Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/Placeholder30/status/1401057574376689669?s=20

    You can check this list for some recommended applications along with their benefits.

    For more information on how to stay online, you can read this article. Please spread the word.