CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Of The Study
The growth of modern technology and the ever-changing complex nature of societies in the world have revolutionalized the way and manner information gathering and dissemination is carried out. Citizens have taken advantage of the opportunities provided by modern technologies in order to stay informed about what is going on around them (Trottier, D. 2012).The internet has become the biggest technological revolution of the 20th century, with a sizeable number of the population of the world having access to it. The use of these technologies in the efficient, cost-effective, and convenient sharing of vital information and opinions among people via online media tools such as Twitter has become so important in today's society (Gerbaudo, P. 2012).
Twitter, therefore, promotes interaction and public participation in various issues of human concern. Thus, the unrestricted interactive nature of Twitter has provided numerous opportunities for the public to interact on a variety of Nigeria-related issues.More so, the social media (twitter) has been utilized by business owners and cooperate organizations to publicize their services. To small and medium-scale enterprises, it has served as a platform for reaching out to customers and targeted audiences, thereby promoting business growth (Edwards, Housley, Williams, Sloan, Williams, 2013). Hence, it is clear that Twitter is being used by the masses for reasons suitable for them, most notably to express opinions and freedom of speech on societal and political matters.
However, countries such as Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom, North Korea, Iran, China, Turkey and recently Nigeria etc. have declared and maintained the suspension of Twitter. The ban of twitter in Nigeria regardless of the immense opportunities and benefits it presents to the society and its implication on the economy is nothing but a violation of human right which can not be attributed to democracy (as the Nigeria acclaims to be a democratic nation). Hence, the ban on Twitter in the country is not constitutional but an unlawful and undemocratic use of power (Aljazeera New). In a democratic system, drastic decisions are taken and executed with regard to the people's choice and welfare. This can be likened to the common saying that democracy is the government of the people, for the people and for the people, thereby portraying the fact that the citizens are at the center of the justification of every national decision. However the President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration unprecedentedly and authoritatively executed the ban of twitter thereby bridging the citizens right to social networking on twitter. According to Aljazeera News, Twitter’s decision to choose Ghana over Nigeria was evident in a statement where the organisation described Ghana "as a champion of democracy, a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet". "It’s not even been two months since Twitter opened its Ghanaian headquarters and they have been proven right," said MacEbong (Aljezeera news report). The interviewee further said that "This ban will keep investors away. Global tech companies that want to have a presence in Africa are likely to look at a place like Ghana rather than a place like Nigeria. " He says the suspension of Twitter sends the wrong signal to foreign investors, adding that small businesses using Twitter as a source of livelihood in Nigeria will be affected. "Businesses in Nigeria use digital media to reach customers, expose their brands and communicate with various stakeholders. That will definitely be affected by this erratic decision," Sesan told AlJazeera. It is upon this background this study aims at examining twitter ban in Nigeria as scandal to democracy.