Ict/Telecom
Twitter Rolls Out Tweets That Disappear After 24 Hours
Twitter says it is rolling out tweets which disappear after 24 hours, joining rival social platforms in offering ephemeral messages.
The new “fleets” which had been tested in several countries in recent months are “for sharing momentary thoughts” and aim to bring in users who want to avoid having their comments become permanent fixtures, according to a Twitter blog post, yesterday.
“Those new to Twitter found fleets to be an easier way to share what’s on their mind,” said Product Manager Sam Haveson and Design Director, Joshua Harris, in the blog post.
“Because they disappear from view after a day, fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings,” the blog post added.
The move gives Twitter a new tool in competing with the likes of Snapchat, which made disappearing messages popular, and Facebook, which has also adopted the idea.
Twitter has become an important platform for politicians, celebrities and journalists, but it has lagged other social networks in users.
In the past quarter, it reported 187 million “monetizable” daily active users, trailing Snapchat and Facebook.
Twitter said the new format would allow users to create the same kinds of messages as in ordinary tweets, including images, videos and emojis, with the option to have the message disappear.
“Your followers can see your fleets at the top of their home timeline,” Haveson and Harris said.
“Anyone who can see your full profile can see your fleets there too,” they twitted.
Twitter has been testing the new format in Brazil, Italy, India and South Korea and learn that “we saw people with fleets talk more on Twitter.”
Twitter’s Research Director, Nikkia Reveillac, said the new format was aimed at helping people move from a passive to an active role in the Twitter conversation.
“People must feel comfortable and in control” to participate in the conversation, Reveillac told journalists.
“What we learned when we talk to people is that… engaging in conversation can honestly be incredibly terrifying… And we know that this is true in real life. And we know that it is true online,” Reveillac said.
Harris told journalists that the move was expected to boost engagement at Twitter.
“Lurking and drafting are cool, but for Twitter to really serve the public conversation, people need to feel comfortable having conversation with less pressure.
“And it might seem like we’re a little late to the game on this but we’ve been thoughtful and exploring the format and how it works for people on Twitter. And we realized through market test research that it makes sense for our platform,” he said.
Twitter said that another new feature rolling out next year is the “voice tweet,” or audio recording which takes the place of text and has been tested in the past few months.
“Sometimes, 280 characters just does not cut it,” Product Designer, Maya Gold Patterson said.
“And sometimes tweeting isn’t the right way of communicating at the moment. And so we were interested in exploring how audio could help add an additional layer to the public conversation,” he said.
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Telecom operators have explained the constant disruption to telephone services in the country, blaming it on persistent fibre disruption and vandalism.
This is coming as Nigerians further prioritise data usage in the first quarter of 2026, with statistics showing that the citizens increased their consumption to four million terabytes within the period.
Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, while speaking at the on a television programme, at the weekend, painted a grim picture of an industry under siege.
Adebayo revealed that the persistent issues of dropped calls and slow Internet are not due to neglect by operators but are the direct result of an “industrial nightmare” of sabotage, vandalism, and criminality.
He described telecom operators as the ‘infrastructure of infrastructures” that supports every other sector, from banking to security regretting however, that this critical backbone is cracking under the weight of constant attacks.
In a startling revelation, Adebayo exposed the disparity between the safety of international infrastructure and the vulnerability of domestic networks.
He noted that the undersea fibre optic cables in the Atlantic have suffered barely one outage in two years.
In stark contrast, the terrestrial fibre optic cable running from Lagos to Kano is cut an average of 40 times every single day.
“If you have fibre cut as many as 40 times a day across the national network, there is no way that that will not impact the quality of service,” Adebayo stated flatly.
He explained that these cuts, often caused by reckless excavation or road construction, bleed the industry dry financially and force congestion onto remaining network routes.
Recall that the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, said operators suffered 1,883 fibre cuts in the first three months of the year.
Beyond fibre cuts, the ALTON chairman highlighted the rampant theft of diesel, batteries, and generators at cell sites. He cited a bizarre situation in a Lekki community — one of Nigeria’s wealthiest corridors — where residents lacked public electricity for four months but demanded flawless service.
Operators, he revealed, are often forced to pay local community groups just to transport diesel to sites under the cover of darkness.
Perhaps the most alarming revelation was the security situation facing technical staff.
Adebayo disclosed that there are vast territories in Nigeria where engineers cannot respond to faults after 6:00 p.m. due to the threat of attacks by armed vandals and non-state actors.
Despite the doom, Adebayo noted a silver lining. He said the recent 50 per cent tariff adjustment approved by the government has restored investor confidence. He confirmed that capital is finally flowing back into the sector after years of stagnation.
Adebayo who warned that money alone would not fix the problem, issued a passionate call to the government, demanding that vandalism of telecom infrastructure be treated with the same severity as crude oil theft.
In a related development, March subscription statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission showed that Nigerians consumed more than four billion gigabytes of data in 90 days in the first quarter of 2026.
Specifically, from January to March, Nigeria recorded 4.06 million terabytes of data, the highest level since the NCC began tracking the data. The development further confirmed data as the new ‘oil’ as more Nigerians do stuff online.
In a move to boost the digital education and technological empowerment in Rivers State, the Platform Petroleum Limited has inaugurated the O.B. Lulu-Briggs ICT Centre for Digital Innovations in Obonoma, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area .
The state-of-the-art facility, commissioned recently, represents a significant intervention aimed at bridging the digital divide and expanding access to information and communication technology across riverine communities in the Niger Delta.
Commissioning the centre, former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, commended the initiative, describing it as a timely investment in human capital development and a catalyst for educational advancement in underserved areas.
The ICT centre equipped with over 280 interconnected computer systems, positioned it as a major hub for computer-based testing (CBT), digital training, and innovation-driven learning.
It is expected to serve residents of Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, and Degema local government areas, thereby reducing the need for students and job seekers to travel to urban centres for examinations and digital services.
Chairman of Platform Petroleum Limited, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, said the project was conceived in response to the increasing demand for digital literacy in a rapidly evolving global economy.
He emphasised that the centre goes beyond infrastructure, serving as a gateway to global opportunities for young people in the region, particularly in an era shaped by artificial intelligence, automation, and technological innovation.
According to Lulu-Briggs, equipping youths with relevant digital skills remains critical to enhancing their competitiveness and enabling them to participate meaningfully in the global knowledge economy.
The facility, named after his father, Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives targeted at promoting education, enterprise, and socio-economic development in host communities.
Beyond its CBT capabilities, the centre also features dedicated spaces for training, collaboration, and enterprise development, alongside residential and support facilities designed to enhance learning outcomes.
In his remarks, Lulu-Briggs urged host communities to take ownership of the facility by ensuring its protection and proper use, stressing that its long-term value depends on collective responsibility and commitment.
The O.B. Lulu-Briggs ICT Centre is widely regarded as a strategic investment that will not only improve access to digital education but also strengthen Rivers State’s emergence as a growing hub for technology and innovation in Nigeria.
Stakeholders at the inauguration described the project as a transformative intervention capable of narrowing the digital gap, stimulating innovation, and creating sustainable opportunities for thousands of young people across the region.
Dignitaries at the event included Vice Chairman Ojunekwu Augustine Avuru and Managing Director/CEO John Anim, as well as traditional rulers, religious leaders, community stakeholders, and youth representatives.
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