Nigeria lost N10.72trillion to the shut down of Twitter operations between June 5th,2021 and January 13th,2022,the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI),has said .
Dr.Chinyere Almona, Director-General
Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry,who revealed this in a statement on Friday,quoted the figure from Netblock’s Cost of Shutdown Tool.
The operations of the microblogging platform were shut down on the 5th of June 2021 by the Federal Government due to the use of the platform for subversive purposes and alleged criminal activities that were seen as threats to national security and social cohesion.
But the chamber’s boss said the Federal Government’s news conveying the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria was well received and commendable. .
She emphasized the need for nations to negotiate the achievement of balance in the use of digital platforms for mutual benefits between government regulators and operators.
“We appreciate the lessons learned during the negotiations between the Technical Committee on Nigeria-Twitter Engagement with Twitter and urge the government to explore these lessons in creating a realistic template for regulating digital platforms in Nigeria for maximum benefits.
“We urge the government to create an enabling regulatory environment that supports global technology companies in achieving their potentials and are sustainably profitable. When this happens, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and revenue mobilization will receive a boost through tax revenues from these companies. Currently, the ICT sector is one of the growth drivers in the economy and we see additional activities of the digital platforms as adding more potentials to this sector.
“We commend the efforts of the Federal Ministers, agencies, and committees that have pulled the negotiations and gotten approval for the lifting of the suspension.We request that all relevant institutions work towards enhancing our digital infrastructure to adequately and sustainably support innovation in almost all sectors of the economy especially healthcare delivery, agric-technology, learning, e-governance, and fintech”.
989800cookie-checkTwitter Suspension: Nigeria Loses N10.72tr In 7months
