E-Business
Jack Dorsey: Unpicking Twitter Boss’s Passion for Nigeria
By Nduka Orjinmo – BBC News
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is no stranger to controversy but in Nigeria he has become embroiled in the battle between the country’s tech-savvy youths and a ruling class that is seen to be out-of-touch with their thinking.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter Boss
His Twitter platform was used to galvanise support for last year’s #EndSars protests, which began as a movement against police brutality and morphed into a confrontation between the political class and Nigeria’s youth.
But Twitter is now blocked in the country after a recent tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, 78, was deleted.
Many Nigerians adore Mr Dorsey. His ideals of open internet, freedom of expression and economic rights resonate with those who feel marginalised by their government.
Far from being intimidated by the Twitter ban, Mr Dorsey has kept tweeting about Nigeria and has captivated many here.
As the nation marked Democracy Day on 12 June and protests were held in different cities calling for a reversal of the block on Twitter, he tweeted the Nigerian flag with an emoji of a handshake and “#bitcoin”.
— jack (@jack) June 12, 2021
The next day he retweeted an article calling for the Nigerian government to pursue a Bitcoin standard, and quoted a tweet with the caption “the people of Nigeria will lead #bitcoin”.
Some analysts say this shows Mr Dorsey is a businessman looking after his interests.
While he is more famous as the CEO of Twitter, Mr Dorsey is also the founder of Square and Cash App, two payment processing platforms with interests in cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin.
Cryptocurrencies targeted
Nigeria’s cryptocurrency market is the largest in Africa.
High inflation and a weak national currency has led millions to turn to digital currencies, which some see as safer and more reliable.
“There will always be room for products and solutions that help Nigerians save, invest and hedge in currencies other than in naira [the local currency],” said Faith Obafemi, a cryptocurrencies expert in Lagos.
She said there was space in the Nigeria cryptocurrencies market for services like trading that Mr Dorsey’s financial apps can provide.
However, Nigeria’s crypto-market is under regulation after the central bank placed restrictions in February.
Concerned by the growing adoption of digital currencies and what it saw as the harm it posed to the Nigerian economy, the government barred financial institutions from dealing in them.
But the regulation has had the opposite effect as investors have seen an increase in activity.
Much like the way people have got around the Twitter ban, there has been a surge in cryptocurrency transactions between individuals that bypass the financial institutions.
“When you look at the Twitter ban and you look at the cryptocurrency ban, it really draws from the same government-driven fear which is: ‘To what extent can we allow Nigerian youths to exercise freedom on the internet?’,” said Senator Ihenyen, head of Nigeria’s blockchain and cryptocurrencies association.
Mr Dorsey’s defenders argue that while he is advancing his business interests, he also appears to be genuinely interested in Nigeria – even though he overlooked it for Twitter’s Africa headquarters, preferring Ghana instead.
One-stop shop for everything
Mr Dorsey visited Lagos as part of his tour of Africa in November 2019, and a Nigerian, Uche Adegbite, is among the social media giant’s senior directors.
Nigeria’s former Finance Minister and current World Trade Organisation head, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had also previously served on Twitter’s board.
The founder of the Co-Creation Hub in Lagos, Bosun Tijani, who met Mr Dorsey during his visit, said the Twitter CEO left with a strong belief that the platform was having a real impact in Nigeria.
“It’s a country that is typically hierarchical but Twitter is one of the platforms that gives opportunity for people, regardless of who you are, to have conversations that naturally in the Nigerian context you never get to have,” he said.
In fact, Twitter in Nigeria is more than a platform. It is a one-stop shop for everything – from job openings, to a missing persons portal, and a civic space to hold public officials to account.
It made its biggest political impact during last year’s #EndSars demonstrations, when it became the platform of choice for the young demonstrators. They succeeded in forcing the president to scrap the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars), a notorious police unit that was known for its brutality.
However, the peaceful protests were then hijacked by thugs who damaged public buildings across Nigeria.
For that, the government says it holds Mr Dorsey “liable”, with some officials going as far as to accuse him of being part of a campaign to remove President Buhari from office.
Buhari’s controversial tweet
Information Minister Lai Mohammed has alleged that Mr Dorsey raised funds through Bitcoin to sponsor one of the protest groups , and Twitter – which created a special emoji in support of the demonstrations – was used to stoke the crisis. Mr Dorsey has not commented on the allegations.
Relations hit a new low last month when the government blocked Twitter, alleging that the micro-blogging site was being used to undermine “Nigeria’s corporate existence” through the spreading of fake news that had “violent consequences”.
This came after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Buhari about the security issues in south-east Nigeria. He said “those misbehaving today” would be dealt with in “the language they will understand”.
The president faced a massive backlash from users who saw this as a threat of violence. As a result Twitter accused accusing Mr Buhari of violating its rules and removed the tweet.
The government was furious and accused Twitter of double standards. It highlighted messages by Nnamdi Kanu, the exiled leader of a banned group calling for secession from Nigeria, which it argued encouraged the killing of police officers.
Those tweets were subsequently deleted by Twitter.
The Twitter founder has largely stayed out of politics in other African countries, fuelling suspicion among his critics that he not only has a business interest in Nigeria, but also a political interest.
But Mr Tijani simply sees Mr Dorsey as representing a new breed of CEOs.
“He’s not the generation of Bill Gates. He’s part of the generation that doesn’t rely on the government,” he said.
Moreover, Nigeria’s youth are using his invention to push for political and economic change, worrying a government that does not have a good grasp of technology.
“[Government leaders] are beginning to see that this technology can be used to challenge them in ways that people have never been able to challenge them,” Mr Tijani added.
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SystemSpecs Holdings Ltd unveiled at the weekend the rebranding of its subsidiary Deelaa to Whatadeal, launching an ambitious digital commerce platform poised to transform travel, events, and e-commerce across Africa.
John Obaro, group managing director, SystemSpecs, and Fela Bank-Olemoh, managing director of Whatadeal
The announcement comes amid a surging demand for integrated digital services in Nigeria and beyond, as the continent’s e-commerce and travel sector stand on the cusp of exponential growth.
The launch event, held in Lagos, demonstrated SystemSpecs’ vision for a seamless, value-centric consumer experience.
This strategic rebrand follows the company’s acquisition of Knit Technologies, amalgamating cutting-edge innovation and industry expertise into Whatadeal—one of four subsidiaries under the SystemSpecs umbrella.
John Obaro, group managing director, SystemSpecs, emphasized that the transformation reflects an unwavering commitment to technological advancement and customer empowerment.
“Whatadeal transcends a mere rebranding—it embodies a dynamic ecosystem designed to deliver unparalleled value and memorable experiences,” Obaro told reporters.
He elaborated, “Our ambition is to ensure that whether you’re organizing an event, procuring tickets, or seeking the finest deals, Whatadeal is your definitive destination. We are also in advanced discussions with leading travel industry players to curate exceptional travel experiences across Nigeria.”
Originally introduced in 2022 as an e-ticketing and marketplace platform, Deelaa catered to both businesses and consumers.
Its evolution into Whatadeal responds to shifting market dynamics, offering an integrated solution for booking flights, securing event tickets, and shopping online.
The platform will be powered by Remita, SystemSpecs’ acclaimed electronic payment and collection system, which underpinned Nigeria’s Treasury Single Account initiative—one of the most extensive implementations of its kind in Africa.
Steering this venture is Fela Bank-Olemoh, managing director of Whatadeal and a SystemSpecs stalwart since 1998.
With over two decades of expertise spanning technology, marketing, and public service, Bank-Olemoh brings a formidable pedigree to the role.
He founded MediaVision Limited, a preeminent sports marketing firm in Nigeria, before serving as Special Adviser on Education to the Lagos State Governor from 2015 to 2019 and later as Senior Special Assistant on Education Interventions to Nigeria’s President from 2019 to 2023.
Bank-Olemoh articulated the platform’s ethos: “At Whatadeal, we hold that exceptional experiences and valuable offers should be effortless, not convoluted. Our mission extends beyond merely facilitating deals—we are cultivating an ecosystem that nurtures engagement, trust, and enduring value for our customers.”
He added, “Whether you’re arranging travel, acquiring event tickets, or purchasing essentials, you deserve an intuitive, rewarding experience that consistently delivers excellence. Whatadeal is dedicated to realizing that vision.”
SystemSpecs aims to establish Whatadeal as the preeminent one-stop platform for African consumers, blending convenience with competitive offerings.
With its fusion of Knit Technologies’ innovations and Remita’s robust infrastructure, Whatadeal is poised to redefine digital commerce on the continent.
How much do you trust your device memory? Definitely more than you should. According to the statistics only 33% of users back up their data regularly, and more than 77% of people have already experienced data loss.
An annual tradition which started as a simple reddit post back in 2011, World Backup Day is celebrated on 31st March 2025 to provide a reminder of the importance of backing up data. To mark the occasion, Kaspersky shares practical advice on how to create new beneficial digital habits to ensure your backups are safe.
The first question that should be taken into consideration is: what exactly needs to be backed up? The answer seems to be lying on the surface.
The more you back up – the better. Work-related documents, family photos, financial info, health records, logins and passwords, and even content shared within messengers. In fact, all of this needs to be backed up using reliable storage methods.
There are several reasons why it is recommended to copy as much data as you can.
First of all, the device on which the information is stored may simply be lost, stolen or damaged. For example, UK’s South Western Railway reports that at least 5 smartphones are lost per day on its network, which is almost 1800 devices per year.
Among other potential threats to data safety are ransomware attacks. This is a type of malware that blocks a computer and then demand a ransom for its release. In some cases, even paying the ransom does not help to restore data on an infected device.
Despite these substantial risks, in everyday life it’s almost impossible (and to some extent pointless) to back up everything. Our devices contain gigabytes of information, most of which has no value. Creating backup storages of such a scale is time-consuming and expensive.
The main advice is to rank data correctly. Try to assort the items needing to be backed up by evaluating their relevance, recency and recovery options.
If a file, record or password is outdated or may be replaced by a newer version, backup may be safely ignored. If it is a new or highly valuable piece of information, backing up is necessary and preferably there should be more than one copy.
The art of backup
The next step towards data loss prevention is finding the suitable backup method to select. Obviously, it depends on multiple factors: type of data, type of device, pricing, user’s personal preferences and habits.
The most popular backup options are generally cloud or external storage services. Both of these methods have their pros and cons. For example, cloud services give you instant access to information wherever you are, but they require regular subscription payments.
At the same time, external hard drives are reliable storages which only require one payment, but access to information on these devices is only possible when they are at hand.
Therefore, cloud storage is regarded as the perfect option for storing files and photos which should always be available in a few clicks, while external storage services are suitable for data archives and huge files, such as movies or videos which you rarely use. Overall statistics show that nowadays most people choose cloud technology as their main storage option.
Specific data such as passwords, ID or financial details require even more secure storage methods.
Among the potential solutions password manager is an option that protects sensitive personal information, prevents its loss and provides immediate access to it at any time. Automatic filling of authentication and banking data means users do not have to memorise important information and reliably protects data from being compromised.
While choosing backup and storage options it’s highly recommended to consider all the aspects. To get backing up into a real habit, the method should not only be reliable and effective, but also suitable and convenient for you personally.
Enhanced protection
As it has been already mentioned, single manual backup might not be enough to protect data from being lost. World Backup Day is the right time to remember that data might be vulnerable and take some proactive steps to secure it. Kaspersky has created some tips on how to do it effectively:
- Follow the rule 3-2-1. One of the most popular backup strategies is to have at least 3 copies of important data, store it on 2 different storage types, and make at least 1 copy off-side (cloud or external physical location).
- Set up automatic backups. Most devices and services have a preinstalled backup function, which automatically creates a backup if you forget to make a copy in time.
- Use a reliable security solution. Comprehensive digital protection with a specific anti-ransomware protection mechanism, such as in Kaspersky Premium, prevents device infection and protects your data from both local and remote-access ransomware attacks.
- Make regular checks. It’s necessary to test your backups workability on a regular basis to notice the malfunction in time and fix it.
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of Interior, has announced the launch of an Online Visa Approval Center to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and reduce corruption in the visa application process.
Commissioned by the President in December, the new system ensures that applicants no longer need to visit a visa office, know anyone in the system, or lobby for approvals.
At a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2025, yesterday in Abuja, Dr. Tunji-Ojo said the visa is considered a very important document by the government because it is an instrument of migration management and an instrument of economic development.
The minister explained that Nigeria has to strike a delicate balance between national security and, of course, the ease of migration.
“And we think that it’s something that we can do and something we will do.
“We don’t have a physical Visa Approval Center. If you apply for a Nigerian visa anywhere in the world, you do so online. We process it here in Nigeria, and if approved, you receive your e-visa in your email,” he explained.
To enhance efficiency, the government has set a 48-hour deadline for processing e-visas.
“It is unprofessional and unacceptable for the Nigeria Immigration Service not to approve or provide feedback within 48 hours,” the minister stated.
“It breaks my heart that people need to lobby to even get visas to Nigeria. It shouldn’t be so. It shouldn’t be.
“For anybody that is qualified, for anybody that wants to do legitimate activities in Nigeria, such people should be able to come to Nigeria easily. And this is why we are opening our space. Mr. President is interested in foreign direct investments.”
Further, he said Nigeria is interested in partnering with the rest of the world to develop its economy but, “We can’t do that when we allow bottlenecks to hold us down. So these reforms, basically, are aimed at opening our space, enhancing national security, and we hope that the primary responsibilities of the visa scheme will be achieved.”
Kemi Nandap, controller general, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said the NIS would fully digitize its e-visa platform and reduce visa classifications from 79 to 44 to enhance accessibility, transparency, and efficiency in the new visa policy.
She said, “At the core of this policy is the new e-visa platform—a fully digitized, centralized system that revolutionizes how foreign nationals interact with our country’s entry procedures. As part of this transformation, the Nigerian Visa Policy 2024 underwent a comprehensive review, resulting in a significant reduction in visa classifications from 79 to 44.
“These categories have been logically grouped to simplify procedures, reduce complexities, and greatly improve the user experience. Importantly, we have maintained the original purpose and intent of each visa class throughout this reform.”
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