How do you solve a problem like Nigeria?

It is incredible that the current Nigerian government that is widely seen as ineffective and unpopular fails to see the benefits of social media in promoting reform and recovery. In Africa in particular, having a vibrant social media is one way to sustain economic and social development. It does appear that the current government has been mulling over ways to curb the use of social media in the country and Twitter deleting a tweet by the president has given it the excuse to take action. Unfortunately, this seems to be a shortsighted and ill conceived move. 

The Nigerian government may claim to be taking action against Twitter but it’s its own citizenry that it is actually disadvantaging. If the government was unhappy about Twitter’s moderating of content it posted then it should have engaged with Twitter to resolve whatever misunderstanding of its communication and motives it might have deemed to have occurred. Depriving people of using the platform seems like the exact type of overreaction one would expect from a dictatorial and totalitarian government. Certainly it isn’t consistent with the actions and spirit of a modern democracy. 

In spite this being the 21st century Nigeria is still driven by an extremely traditional and deeply conservative culture. In personal interaction age and social status limit the nature and style of communication between individuals. With the growing pervasiveness of the internet and social media some sections of Nigerian society believe the open access has undermined their entitlement and ability to control and restrict the way communication flows between people and institutions. Rather than see the freedom as an opportunity for development for a people who are mired in poverty and deprivation; they consider it as a swamp that festers with disrespect and allows equality. Truth be told, some people in Nigeria do not like to be held accountable and balk at any suggestion of being subjected to scrutiny.

Given Nigeria’s dire economic circumstances the government has been out begging for loans and grants to maintain its revenue requirements. This type of repressive government behaviour is unlikely to be seen as promoting an environment that bodes well for external investment. In fact, the facility to profit from corruption seems to be one of the key factors currently driving consideration of investing in Nigeria. The amount of effort the government is putting into policing Twitter seems significantly greater than what it has done to curb internal insecurity issues. 

It has become clear that until Nigeria starts having honest politicians it will not have good political leadership. After sixty years of independence the country does not have functional institutions that will ensure sustainable economic and social development. The country is becoming increasingly fractured along tribal lines. Unfortunately, there isn’t the leadership to unite and heal all the divisions. If the current government could focus on internal security that at least would be something that everyone could benefit from.