Experts weigh costs as FG plans to unban Twitter

• Platform targets 2022 to open a local office
• FDIs, MSMEs, governments badly impacted as losses hit N169b 69 days after
• Experts want investments in indigenous messaging apps

The Federal Government has hinted at a possible resolution to the suspension of micro-blogging platform, Twitter in Nigeria. Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.

Reactions have trailed the move by FG to lift the ban on Twitter. Some stakeholders in the technology space, who spoke with The Guardian, said the ban ought not to have been in the first place.
  
The Chairman, Mobile Software Solution, Nigeria, Chris Uwaje, said the new development goes a long way to validate the position that the initial decision of the FG was a very hasty one, with limited or zero impact analysis by professionals.

A survey by Top10VPN estimates that the ban has affected around 104.4 million internet users in the country, using a tool developed by internet governance watchdog organisation, Netblocks, and Internet Society, a U.S. advocacy nonprofit. 

So far in 2021, only Myanmar and India have had worse financial losses than Nigeria from an internet shutdown of some form, according to Top10VPN survey. Uganda, which disrupted Internet access in January for a controversial presidential election, is in fourth place, with its shutdown costing around $51.5 million.

Since 2019, 234 major Internet shutdowns across 43 countries have cost the world economy $15.5 billion, according to Top10VPN’s tracker. In the case of a social media shutdown, active users can use VPNs to bypass the firewall but there are costs, too. For one, individuals using free VPN versions are vulnerable to data theft and other invasions of privacy.
   
On the possibility that Nigerians have moved on to other social media platforms, Uwaje said moving to other platforms should not be the current concern, “rather, it should be setting up a National IT Platform Think Tank to conduct research and provide innovative solutions for national, Africa-Wide Messaging System.”  

Nigeria’s shutdown of Twitter, which came into effect on June 5, has become a huge economic headache for the country, impacting businesses of all sizes, from banks to startups, who use social media for activities like customer service and dispute resolution. The ban has also hit entrepreneurs and vendors who are able to gain visibility through social media campaigns and viral tweets, and the content creators, and marketers who have built a career out of running those campaigns.

According to Brookings Institution, the ban has damaged Nigeria’s image on the world stage, as key diplomatic and economic allies like the European Union (EU) and the U.S. have condemned the ban at a time when the country “needs to foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions, as well as share vital information in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic,” as quoted by the U.S. embassy in Nigeria.

The global spotlight from the ban also highlights the government’s evident ineffectiveness in addressing serious economic, social, security, and political challenges.

The ban can also harm Nigeria’s growth as foreign investors pivot business and funding to other African countries, jeopardising Nigeria’s role as the unofficial tech hub of Africa. In a recent example, Twitter chose Ghana for its regional headquarters even though Ghana has a much smaller population and economy than Nigeria but was perceived to have an attractive environment for external investors.

Giving updates on the government’s negotiation with the site, the Minister of Information provided further insight into the conditions given to the platform, saying that most of them have been accepted.

He said: “We have met virtually and have exchanged correspondence about three times. Really, apart from dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, we are actually almost there. I don’t want to say that the engagement has been extremely positive, devoid of any acrimony.

“As a matter of fact, it is to the credit of Twitter that they admitted that they have never received any kind of informed or detailed communication from any country as they have received from us. Not only did they promise that they were going to look into it, but we made very clear what we wanted from Twitter.”

“We also asked Twitter, in addition to registering the Nigerian company, must also register with relevant regulatory authorities like National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

“We asked that Twitter shall be mandated to retain designated local agents to manage its engagement with Federal Government operations in Nigeria. We also asked Twitter to commit itself to work with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). You know that if you make money from Nigeria, you pay taxes according to Nigerian laws. Of course, by paying VAT and other tax liabilities of any company resident in Nigeria.

“We also proposed to Twitter that we should agree on a charter of online conduct for content management. So that this charter will guide both of us, we will agree on which content would be acceptable, what’s not acceptable, because we are very concerned about contents that are liable to jeopardise the security, unity, and safety of Nigeria. We also asked that we agree on what is publishable and when such is cited and brought to the attention of Twitter, Twitter to remove or delete such a publication,” the Minister added.
   
He expressed confidence that everything will be trashed with Twitter within a few days or weeks, noting the anxiety that has been shown by Nigerians. He further announced that the Federal Government’s committee negotiating with Twitter will meet on the agreement soon to make recommendations.