Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, has asked the federal government to reverse the ban on Twitter in the country.
Lai Mohammed, minister of information, in a statement on Friday, said Twitter was undermining Nigeria’s existence, hence the decision to “indefinitely” suspend its operations in Nigeria.
The suspension comes days after a Twitter post by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 1967 civil war was deleted by the microblogging platform.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Makinde said the microblogging and social networking platform has become a source livelihood to many Nigerians.
He asked the government to go beyond “emotional reactions to issues” and consider its social and economic impact.
“As leaders, we should go beyond emotional reactions to issues and think about how our actions will affect the people we lead and our international ratings socially and economically,” he said.
“Twitter has become the platform for young people and indeed all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish an opinion.
“They use the platform to complain, argue and give feedback to government and its agencies who in turn, use these to improve policies. This is a fundamental point that should be kept in mind as we debate the necessity of this suspension.
“We should also remember that Twitter has gone beyond a source of communication for many of our hardworking youths in Nigeria. It has become a source of livelihood for many, irrespective of their political affiliations or religious leanings.
“Nigerian youths and digital communications organisations earn a living from being able to use the platform to post communications on behalf of their clients.
“Others who may not have physical stores also rely on Twitter to give visibility to their products and services.
Makinde asked the federal government to be “actively interested in how certain policies and action will affect investor confidence”.
“I, therefore, use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to reverse this suspension for the greater good of Nigerians,” he said.
