Some Information Technology experts on Thursday expressed excitement over the Federal Government’s decision lifting the suspension of the microblogging app Twitter.
The expert spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
NAN reports that the Federal Government had on June 5, 2021 announced the suspension of the the use of Twitter in the country.
The removal of the suspension took effect from 12.00 a.m. Thursday, Jan.13, 2022.
Mr Jide Awe, the Chief Executive Officer of Jidaw Systems Ltd., said that the removal of the suspension of the platform would give Nigerians, especially the young ones the opportunity to engage and do business.
According to him, once again, citizens will be able to interact and exchange ideas to develop themselves and their brands.
“Due to the ban, a lot of Nigerians were cut off and as we know Twitter is one of the biggest social media platforms that people use for expressing their ideas. So being excluded from it affected many citizens,” Awe said.
He said that the government would also benefit from lifting the ban, as the platform would also be an avenue for disseminating its activities and aid engagement for the upcoming 2023 elections.
Mr Haruna Ismail, the Chief Executive Officer, Harixm Solutions, said that lifting the ban on Twitter would help drive a lot of revenue, jobs, make organisations brace up to be legally-compliant in going forward.
According to him, it will make the country a better and saner environment from the social media angle and chart a new course for the nation in the social media space.
Mr Yemi Odutola , the Communication Officer at Women Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), also said the lifting of the ban on Twitter was a welcome development for the youth who depend on it for many of their activities.
Odutola said that in return, it would also help in the dissemination of more reliable information from the government to the citizens of the country.
“Lifting the ban is also beneficial to various institutions, business owners and brand influencers who rely on it as a proper platform to send out information.
“However, users should avoid using the platform to spread fake news and hate speech against the government.
“The return of the platform should make users engage more responsibly and productively, as it is a platform which provides immense opportunities for all.
“Irresponsible use of Twitter by some people could compromise opportunities for many with ingenuous ideas and activities,” Odutola said.
He said that Nigerians especially entrepreneurs would be able to use the platform to advertise their various brands once again.
Odutola noted that the platform would also be able to utilise more opportunities for itself from one of its biggest markets which is Nigeria.
Also in a statement, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Paradigm Initiative, hailed the Federal Government for lifting the ban.
Valery Njiaba, Communications Officer, Paradigm Initiative, said that lifting the ban was long overdue. (NAN)
