The decision by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to ban Twitter in Africa’s most populous country in June, has dealt a blow to its revenue ambitions.
According to Netblocks Cost of Shutdown Tools, which uses the classic Free Digital App GDP impact technique, Nigeria has lost at least $243 million in the past 51 days since the Twitter shutdown.
In Nigeria, Twitter recorded $1.19 billion in revenue in Q2 2021, against the $683.4 million Twitter reported for the corresponding period of Q2 2020. The United Nations, foreign capitals from Washington to London and rights groups have all condemned the ban as a threat to freedom of expression.
Nigeria’s broadcast regulator took a step further, ordering television and radio channels to suspend their Twitter accounts and stop using the social media giant for news, branding its use as “unpatriotic.”
Even using a VPN to access the platform would lead to investigation and possible suspension of broadcast licenses.
In Africa’s largest economy, three-quarters of the population of 200 million are younger than 24 — a generation that is also hyper-connected to social media.
Buhari’s government has defended the decision, saying that Twitter had become a platform for activities threatening the country’s stability, particularly for an outlawed separatist group in the southeast.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed this week dismissed worries about freedom of expression saying Nigeria’s stability was a priority. He said social media companies would now have to register and license locally in Nigeria.
But rights groups question the legality of the decision. Nigeria parliament has not passed legislation regarding to the ministry’s move against Twitter.
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