On Thursday, Nigerian government joins Indian micro blogging platform “Koo” after they ban Twitter in their country. Koo CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna posted on Twitter a welcome message along with a screenshot of the Nigerian government’s account on Koo.
Why Did Nigerian Government ban Twitter?
According to recent reports, Nigeria decided to suspend Twitter in the country as a result of the US-based social networking platform deleting a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating rules. The Nigerian government had alleged that the micro blogging site was being used to undermine “Nigeria’s corporate existence” through the spreading of fake news that has “violent consequences”.
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Nigerian Government joins Koo
On Thursday, a user on Koo went viral that on the moment, identified itself as the Nigerian government’s official ID. An orange-yellow tick mark, which resembles Twitter’s blue tick, showed the account as “verified” on Koo. It has over 9,900 followers and follows none.
The latest tweet by the Koo handle @nigeriagov mentions a government event in what is being seen as a serious intent behind the switch to India’s micro blogging website as a tool for official communication. In the recent post Nigerian government said, “Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is a Special Guest at today’s event marking the flag-off of Lagos Ibadan Rail commercial operations.”
In a tweet, welcoming the Nigerian government, Koo co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna wrote: “A very warm welcome to the official handle of the Government of Nigeria on @kooindia! Spreading wings beyond India now”.
Check the recent tweet
A very warm welcome to the official handle of the Government of Nigeria on @kooindia! Spreading wings beyond India now. 🙂 @mayankbidawatka pic.twitter.com/9ufSOKI7sd
— Aprameya R (@aprameya) June 10, 2021
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Twitter’s reaction on getting banned
Even within Nigeria, there were sections that opposed the suspension of Twitter for violation of fundamental rights to freedom of speech. In a statement, Twitter had stated that-
“We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”
Former US President Donald Trump, whose account has been suspended by Twitter, congratulated Nigeria for banning Twitter and said more countries should do so.
In a recent interview Trump said that-
“More COUNTRIES should ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech — all voices should be heard. In the meantime, competitors will emerge and take hold. Who are they to dictate good and evil if they themselves are evil? Perhaps I should have done it while I was President. But Zuckerberg kept calling me and coming to the White House for dinner telling me how great I was.”
Benefits for the market of Koo
The Nigerian government’s decision to join Koo after banning Twitter lists its position as an alternative platform to Twitter. Even in India, the progress of Koo came behind the Indian government’s several disagreements with Twitter.
In the last almost six months, the Centre asked Twitter to remove several tweets and suspend accounts it deemed unlawful. Twitter did not comply with these requests on all occasions leading to confrontation between the two sides.
According to the government, Twitter is also yet to comply with India’s new IT rules for digital media intermediaries. Last month, Koo announced a $30-million fundraise from marquee investors including Tiger Global at a time Indian authorities were turning the heat on Twitter. The fundraiser saw Koo’s valuation jump nearly five times over to $100 million.
