Twitter and Public Diplomacy: An Analysis of Nigeria's Foreign Ministry and the President's Involvement (2020-2025)

Social media has brought revolution in the aspect of public diplomacy because the media has introduced a new dimension of practising diplomacy in the twenty-first century. The paper examines the impact of Twitter on the public diplomacy of Nigeria from 2020 to 2025 by comparing three primary Twitter accounts, namely, @NigeriaMFA, @NGRPresident and officialABAT. Qualitative analysis and digital ethnography are used in the study to analyse the social media posts, news stories, official press releases, and other documents in an attempt to establish the usefulness of Twitter in the diplomatic affairs of Nigeria. The paper explores the use of Twitter by non-state and state actors in shaping foreign policy, social movements and the discussion of issues concerning peace in the domestic and foreign contexts. Founding the results on the theories of network diplomacy and agenda-setting, it can be observed that Twitter has the prospects to enhance the image of Nigeria in the global arena, promote its values and interests, and address the international audience. The platform will enable real-time communication, provide Nigeria with more voice in the world discourse and direct access to different stakeholders. However, it is also in the paper that the proliferation of fake news, language, access issues, and lack of productive interaction also represent major challenges that can destroy the objectives of diplomacy. The results support the need for transparency, digital literacy, and strategic communication to ensure that Twitter becomes as useful as possible regarding the issue of public diplomacy. With such concerns, social media has the potential to expand the diplomatic sphere of Nigeria, build relationships with other countries, and create a path through the complexity of global communication in the digital age.