Once again, the little blue bird is now free in Nigeria. Yes, Buhari has unbanned Twitter in Nigeria. If you are looking for where to start, begin with my feed here – https://twitter.com/ndekekwe . The bird has added seven months since you last visited the digital square.

FGN LIFTS SUSPENSION OF TWITTER OPERATIONS

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022. The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the Memo, the Minister updates and requests the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.

1. You may recall that on 5th June 2021, the FGN suspended the operation of Twitter through an announcement made by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed. Thereafter, the President constituted a seven-man Presidential Committee to engage Twitter Inc. Subsequently, in its wisdom, the Presidential Committee set a 20-member Technical Committee comprising all relevant government agencies. The Technical Committee engaged and worked directly with the Twitter team.

2. The immediate and remote cause of the suspension was the unceasing use of the platform by some unscrupulous elements for subversive purposes and criminal activities, propagating fake news, and polarising Nigerians along tribal and religious lines, among others. These issues bordering on National Security, Cohesion and the effects of the abuse of the Twitter platform forced the FGN to suspend the operation of Twitter to address the direct and collateral issues around its operations in Nigeria.

3. The new global reality is that digital platforms and their operators wield enormous influence over the fabric of our society, social interaction and economic choices. These platforms can be used as either a tool or a weapon. Every nation is grappling with how to balance its usage efficiently. Without balancing, every citizen’s security, privacy, social well-being, and development are at stake. Therefore, our action is a deliberate attempt to recalibrate our relationship with Twitter to achieve the maximum mutual benefits for our nation without jeopardising the justified interests of the Company. Our engagement has been very respectful, cordial, and successful.

1. While appreciating all Nigerians, especially the vibrant Nigerian youths who have borne with the long wait to resolve this impasse, the FGN is happy to say that the gains made from this shared national sacrifice are immeasurable. Some of the gains include:

a) Ongoing economic and training opportunities as the Company continues to consider expanding its presence in Nigeria;

d) Smooth and coordinated relationship between Nigerian Government and Twitter leading to mutual trust;

e) Reduction of cybercriminal activities such as terrorism, cyberstalking, hate speech, etc.; and

f) Working with Twitter and other global companies to build an acceptable code of conduct following the global best practice.

1. The FGN has asked Twitter to fulfil some conditions before restoring its services. These conditions addressed legal registration of operations, taxation, and managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian laws. Twitter has agreed to meet all the conditions set by the FGN. Consequently, the FGN and Twitter have decided on an execution timeline, which has started this week. Our engagement with Twitter opens a new chapter in global digital diplomacy and sets a new operational template for Twitter to come back stronger for the benefit of Nigerians.

The following are the resolutions agreed with Twitter. Inc.:

i. Twitter has committed to establishing a legal entity in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022. The legal entity will register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The establishment of the entity is Twitter’s first step in demonstrating its long-term commitment to Nigeria.

ii. Twitter has agreed to appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities. The Global Public Policy team is also directly available through a dedicated communication channel.

iii. Twitter has agreed to comply with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law.

iv. Twitter has agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals. The Partner Support Portal provides a direct channel for government officials and Twitter staff to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules. At the same time, the Law Enforcement Portal provides a channel for the law enforcement agencies to submit a report with a legal justification where it suspects that content violates Nigerian Laws. Taken together, these represent a comprehensive compliance apparatus.

v. Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built and work with the FGN and the broader industry to develop a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries.

1. Therefore, the FGN lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022. We encourage all users of the Twitter platform to maintain ethical behaviour and refrain from promoting divisive, dangerous, and distasteful information on the platform. As patriotic citizens, we need to be mindful that anything illegal offline is also illegal online and that committing a crime using a Nigerian Internet Protocol (IP) is synonymous with committing a crime within our jurisdiction.

2. Considering Twitter’s influence on our democracy, our economy, and the very fabric of our corporate existence as a Nation, our priority is to adapt, not ban, Twitter. The FGN is committed to working with Twitter to do anything possible to help Nigerians align and navigate Twitter algorithmic design to realise its potentials while avoiding its perils.

3. In his approval, the President appreciates the Presidential Committee led by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed, for the supervisory role and guidance given to the Technical Committee during the engagement. Similarly, the Presidential Committee commends the Technical Committee for a professional, robust and productive engagement with Twitter Inc. It also appreciates Government Regulatory Agencies and Internet Service Providers who implemented the FGN’s directives during the suspension.

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE
Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and
Director-General
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

“I started a social media page for my business and I have gathered over 300,000 followers in the last year. We are recording massive growth and the potentials look very promising”

The above quote is not attributed to anyone in particular but it sounds something like what we hear around in conversations among small business owners and some startups. They define their growth and progress based on metrics such as social media following, social media engagement, site visitors, number of hits achieved, and so on.

I have made a post in the past about how your social media followers do not necessarily translate into customers or revenue, hence they might not qualify as a growth metric except in an influencer brand for instance.

While all these metrics might be good indicators of market awareness or maybe acceptance of your brand, they do not necessarily mean that your revenue or balance sheet has been impacted. These are what some business experts would refer to as vanity metrics.

Why vanity metrics? Because they can be like the jewelry that adorns your business. They are beautiful additions but not necessary for businesses to thrive. Like you may well know, there are many businesses with their account books in black, and yet they are not performing so well when you weigh them based on the vanity metrics. They do not have a huge social media following. Their posts do not get the most engagement, and they may never even have achieved a single hit. Despite these, their accounts are doing just well.

On the other hand, some businesses look all beautiful when it comes to these vanity metrics. Their social media posts get all the engagement and they have hundreds of thousands of followers. They record hits every week and are always among the top 10 trends. However, when you move to their balance sheets to check the metrics that matter, you find that they may not be profitable. They may not have broken even and may still be depending on investors’ funds to keep operations going.

In essence, there are metrics and there are metrics. When it comes to understanding a business direction and whether or not it will survive, the relevant metrics are not the ones people can see. The social media following, media hits, and mentions, engagement, and likes are all beautiful, but a business can have all of these and fail if they are not profitable. You have to keep operations lean, your account books need to be balanced, your customer base should be recording steady growth and so should your revenue.

Introduction

Pangolins dig deep burrows for sleeping and nesting that contain circular chambers. Large chambers have been discovered in terrestrial pangolin burrows that are big enough for a human to crawl inside and stand up. One such chamber is found in a bar and grill in Kigali. It was a privilege to catch up with Aileen Lyatuu for just over an hour on Thursday 6 January 2022, at her business premises, St 544 Hs 3 Kigali in the Gasabo District, Kacyiru Sector, along King Faisal Road.

The interview took place at the premises shortly after the lunch break and lasted about 75 minutes. It was a one-to-one in-depth interview revolving around six key themes – background statement, motivations, challenges, personal achievements, and future plans.

The Pangolin’s Burrows Story

Pangolin’s Burrows started out as the CEO’s husband’s passion as a Bar for working class gents, but later became a bar & grill as the woman came fully onboard, armed with a degree in Hospitality Management. Since then, the food provision and/ or inclusion transformed into the cash cow (primary income generator) for the business. It even became more of a revenue earner following the introduction of the lunch-time buffet in January 2017. Starting out with a staff strength of 4 in 2015, the business has reached a strength of thirty full-time staff by December 2021. The target customer base remains the middle/ working class in the surrounding area around the Embassy of Angola and the famous King Faisal Hospital in the Kyacyiru area of Kigali.

Q1. Owner Background (nationality, education, family etc.)

Aileen Lyatuu is originally from Tanzania. She moved to Rwanda in 2011 on completion of her studies at the Makerere University Uganda with an MSc. Tourism and Hospitality Management in 2012. Prior to that she had obtained a First degree in Sociology at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi in 2008.

Aileen is married to a Rwandan and has three kids aged 11, 8 and 2 years. She met her husband in Kenya in 2005, and after a series of long-term relations (following his relocation back home to Rwanda in 2006, they got married in 2010.

Motivations (why you chose to start up a bar & grill in Kigali, your main product and target customers etc.)

Burrows started out about six years ago in 2015. Interestingly, Aileen had to draw upon her education as a master’s degree holder in Tourism and Hospitality Management to introduce food into the product range of Burrows. It does not end there as she also opened-up to the option of outdoor catering and food delivery to supplement the income from the limited seating capacity on-site.

Challenges (including start-up capital, government regulations)

Starting up in the sector is relatively easy in Rwanda compared to its EAC (East African Community/ Cooperation) siblings. This is unlike what may obtain in other sectors such as Agriculture where the intervention by the government is more pronounced. Needless to add that Burrow’s has been impacted by the short opening hours just like many other businesses in this sector, but has nonetheless, managed to remain afloat in spite of this.

Personal achievements

Burrows only recent celebrated its 6th Year Anniversary on 18 December 2021, bringing together its clientele to join in with the celebration. I witnessed the vent which was dispatched like some read carpet premiere. Aileen mentions that this was the first time in six years that this event was celebrated. With free food and drinks, it is evident that Burrows seems to understand the significance of social capital and social responsibility. 

Promos – An observation

This wasn’t part of the interview schedule but arose following a few observations. So, I posed the question – I have just noticed this T-shirt on your staff with the label ‘Kenya Cane.’ Kindly tell me a bit more its significance?

To this she responds, Yes, the ‘Kenya Cane,’ is part of the East African Breweries portfolio and the T-shirts were donated as a gift. It is the same as the other items of branded clothing such as the Guinness T-Shirts and Hoodies. It also represents appreciation for our custom of the products of these brewers. Besides representatives of these firms were also invited to, and attended our successful sixth year Anniversary event recently.

Future Plans – still burrowing?

Aileen is quite keen on scaling-up the operations of Burrows both on-site and off-site. In terms of the former, she plans to add an additional structure to the current building in order to avail more seating area for the growing clientele. In the case of the latter, a location near the border with the latest member of the EAC (East African Community/ Cooperation), i.e., DRC, is on the cards. As she points out the border town of Gisenyi is close to the extrovert and fun-loving people of the DRC and would surely be worth tapping into.

Closing thoughts

Unlike my previous case profiles, which ranged from Heaven Kigali to Alhaji’s Wife in Accra, Ghana, the Burrows story is somewhat different as it embellishes the 3Cs of our time – i.e., Covid-19, Capital requirements and Consumer price rises. Just to add another “C” (cleanliness) to the equation. I haven’t really seen a place as serene and clean as Burrows – the cleanliness and the Covid-19 protocols including heat checks and sanitising stations, makes it somewhere to feel at least. So here you go Pangolins – next stop, Burrows!