From Omojuwa To Gidi Traffic: Nigeria’s Strong Twitter Hemisphere

Never mind Reuben Abati’s diatribe on the growing army of Nigeria’s social media (twitter), which he described as ‘twittering children of anger.’ It was one of his vain attempt to take a swipe at what he perceived to be a bitter ‘watchdog’ on his and his principal’s job. The obvious is this; Nigeria’s twitter sphere has and is providing a great platform that words might not adequately gauge. In more ways than one, this social media provides myriads of platforms. From breaking news to traffic reports, and to every ‘unimagined’ discussion, Nigeria’s twitter sphere has carved a nitch for itself. To this unbelievable watershed, some names must be mentioned. @omojuwa certainly needs no introduction as long as twitter is mentioned. His political activeness and consistent portrayal of vast understanding about Nigeria’s political terrain is a wonder. Make no mistake about it; it is not in another’s power to judge what his true motives are. However, it won’t be an exaggeration to state that many Nigerians due to his tweets are better politically conscious and knowledgeable. And there are many that deserve mention along this line. @eggheader, @rosanwo, @nedunaija, @ged,@chude, and @gbengasesan, to mention but a very few indeed, are all equally amazing. But the country’s twitter world is not just about the burden and thrills of politics. @gidi_traffic is another who has built a strong reputation on this hemisphere. He/she (we would never know what gender) through this account, has simply been a problem solver of all sorts for many. If it is not traffic, it is weather, or exam tips or marital advice or other ridiculous subjects one can conjure. Then, there is @tweetoracle. A polarising, sarcastic and larger than life personality, he adds a unique taste to our twitter hemisphere. @colinudoh is a sport doyen on this sphere, while @alibabagcfr is simply peerless. The list of Nigeria’s making impact with twitter is too numerous to rehash here. Nigeria’s twitter globe has truly come of age. The platform is not just a social media for many of us, it is a meeting point. A place where ordinary people can tell their everyday experience, in a liberty and tone they crave. It’s a place of intense scrutiny for our fledging and often, inimical democracy. Thus, it is very rude for anyone to suggest that the aforementioned names and their likes all earned their reputation on the pages of twitter, without which they are nobody. Such statement borders on sheer ignorance and a smack of irritating arrogance. These individuals have earned their names, and that truth cannot be easily dismissed. No doubt, our twitter hemisphere will continue to witness a flourish; whatever that means to you.