Bants aside, Twitter has become a source of livelihood, camaraderie, and information over the past 10 years in Nigeria. Hence, this recent Nigeria’s Twitter ban, proclaimed by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, has had a ripple effect on millions of Nigerians. The decision naturally sparked the anger of Nigerians who see it as an attack on free speech by the government. However, freedom of speech is not the only thing affected.
Businesses in Nigeria could also be affected and this could ultimately impact Nigerian’s fragile economic growth. Therefore, we are going to examine how this ban could affect the Nigerian economy.
Influencers
The popularity of the social media platform has led to an increase in the number of young Nigerian influencers who are often recruited by PR firms to promote brands. While some influencers – mostly lifestyle – prefer using Instagram, Twitter is the primary platform for most of them.
Additionally, organizations working with these influencers can easily use other channels for marketing activities. However, it can be difficult for influencers to do the same. Influencers may be able to afford VPN service; however, their followers who keep them in business may not be able to offer VPN service or are reluctant to do so. Either way, the results are not good for these influencers.
Telecos
For Telecos, this recent ban means lower data revenue as Twitter continues to be one of Nigeria’s most popular social media platforms with over 40 million users. Furthermore, Telecos has also resolved some of its customer complaints through its social media handles and also inform customers about the latest promotions. However, they will have to use other means to achieve this in the future.
Freelancers
No doubt the increase in internet penetration has led to an increase in the number of people living off the internet, especially social media. From content creators to social media managers and web developers, thousands of Nigerians have created careers on these platforms. Hence, this recent Twitter ban puts their sources of livelihood at risk.
SMEs
Small and medium enterprises are essential to the growth of any economy, often providing jobs for up to 60-70% of the economy. Thus, Nigeria’s SMEs account for 48% of the country’s GDP, 84% of employment, and 96% of businesses in the country.
Many SMEs have used the Internet, especially social media, for business activities such as customer service and marketing. The number of Twitter and Instagram vendors proves this.
These companies may switch to other social media platforms, but their posts may not get as much engagement as Twitter offers. What’s more? There is no guarantee that other social media platforms won’t be banned in the future.
Startups
Within a short time, the Nigerian startup scene has experienced tremendous growth. Consequently, this has created jobs for a significant number of people and revenue in the form of taxes for the Nigerian government.
However, this ban put everything at risk. For most startups, part of their business is social media. Without access to social media to conduct marketing campaigns and build relationships with customers, their business will be affected. As a result, while these companies may find ways to innovate around this ban, their users might not be able to.
Furthermore, this ban will only discourage potential investors because they’re not likely to jump at the opportunity of investing in Nigerian startups due to the political instability in the country.
Final Thoughts
The recent ban on Twitter is coming at a time when the Nigerian economy is just crawling from the pandemic-induced economic contraction. As a result, this will further slow down economic activities for a country that’s battling with a high unemployment rate, rising inflation, and insecurity.
Also, it’s sending a wrong message to foreign investors that the Nigerian government is still suppressing freedom of speech even after years of its democracy.
