Stakeholders in the tech community are currently worried by the spate of attacks coming up against one of their stalwarts, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who was recently nominated as a Minister by President Bola Tinubu.
Tijani, who has been described as the perfect fit for the portfolios of Minister of Communications and Digital Economy is facing backlash from political opinions he had expressed as far back as 2016, especially on Twitter.
Many staunch members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are saying he should not have been nominated considering his stance against the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
A series of tweets by Tijani perceived to be very critical of the APC government are being circulated on social media to discredit his nomination. Some aggrieved members of the party are also appealing to the Senate not to pass the Ministerial nominee during screening.
Not a good development
Expressing their worry about the development, sources in the tech community who spoke with Nairametrics said the attacks are unnecessary given that the ministerial nominee was expressing his opinion as a private citizen that wants the progress of the country.
- “The Bola Tinubu administration had promised to include technocrats in his appointment and we are happy he has fulfilled that promise through his ministerial list.
- “For the tech community, he has selected one of the best minds in the person of Bosun Tijani, whom we are all condiment will deliver for the good of Nigeria.
- “The ongoing attacks from aggrieved party members are unnecessary distractions that may truncate this good decision that has been made by the President.
- Every one of us has an opinion outside of government. I want to believe those opinions shared by Tijani were out of deep concern for the country.
- “And more so because he wants a country that works,” a strong member of the tech community who would not want to be named said.
Another stakeholder in the tech ecosystem, who is a founder, said the opposition to Tijani was a threat to the tech community, which for the first time, is having a true representation in government.
- “For the first time, we have a government that looks inward to the tech community to pick a Minister and we are all happy. But the attacks are giving us concerns.
- “Whatever Tijani has said was in the past. And the question we should ask ourselves is, is he competent to be a Minister? The answer is yes. He is one of our best in the Nigerian tech industry and he has contributed a lot to the development of the tech industry in Nigeria,” he said.
Bosun Tijani, the CEO, and co-founder of CcHub. He has led the expansion of CcHub across Nigeria, Kenya, and more recently, Namibia.
From its humble beginnings in Yaba, CcHub has grown to become a significant catalyst for tech advancement in Africa by empowering young people with the tools, communities, and capital they need to launch impactful ventures.
With a N1bn growth fund, CcHub has committed to impacting over 95 early-stage businesses including those bringing innovation to Africa’s education and healthcare systems.
In 2017, New Africa Magazine named Tijani as one of the 100 most influential people in Africa.
