TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have exchanged words on social media over the reason Twitter set up its Africa headquarters in Ghana, and not Nigeria.

The US-based microblogging and social networking service, on Monday, announced the launch of its first-ever African office in Accra, Ghana.

The company said its choice of Ghana was based on the country’s history of being a “champion of democracy” and “a supporter of free speech, online freedom and the open internet”.

However, the announcement has since generated reactions from Nigerians as they took to social media to register different opinions, especially on the choice of Ghana instead of Nigeria.

While some blamed the choice on policies said to negatively affect the ease of doing business in Nigeria, others claimed the government’s clampdown on protesters during the #EndSARS protests contributed to Twitter’s decision to choose Ghana.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesperson of the PDP, alleged that Twitter’s preference for Ghana over Nigeria was occasioned by “inconsistent economic policies, obnoxious suppression of free speech, stifling of online freedom and open internet” by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The PDP spokesperson said with an estimated 39.6 million twitter subscribers in Nigeria, “which is bigger than the population of Ghana”, Nigeria ought to have been the headquarters of Twitter in Africa.

“This is in addition to infrastructural decay, massive corruption and manifest failure of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency and the APC to address the escalated insecurity brought upon our nation by their incompetent watch,” he said.

“Indeed the decision by Twitter to by-pass Nigeria to locate its African operational base in Ghana is another sad commentary of how our nation, which was hitherto a global investment hub under the PDP, has now been so degraded in global economic competitiveness under the APC.

“Nigerians were heavily despaired on Monday when the founder of Twitter, announced that his company will be setting up its headquarters on the continent in Ghana despite Nigeria’s domineering twitter traffic in the sub region.”

However, in a swift response, the APC posted screenshots of several news items on Twitter showing foreign direct investment in the country under the Buhari administration.

See the APC’s reaction below.

World's biggest Cereal Company, @KelloggCompany invested ₦6billion to start and complete their factory in Nigeria under the PMB/APC Administration….. https://t.co/CrXgrTIpOO pic.twitter.com/PQjEGVmurX

— APC Nigeria (@OfficialAPCNg) April 14, 2021

Belgium company, Anheuser-Buch InBev also begs to disagree with your summation https://t.co/CrXgrTIpOO pic.twitter.com/Ee76IrQGNM

— APC Nigeria (@OfficialAPCNg) April 14, 2021

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But somehow, this "misrule" didn't stop Facebook? Got it https://t.co/CrXgrTIpOO pic.twitter.com/g1QQnTLtSP

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— APC Nigeria (@OfficialAPCNg) April 14, 2021