June 5, 2021

According to some Nigerians, this has placed Nigeria on the same dictatorship map as Iran, North Korea, China, Afghanistan and Turkey

Public outrage has continued to trail the Nigerian government’s suspension of Twitter in the country with some Nigerians taking to social media to condemn the act, describing it as draconian and dictatorial.

According to some Nigerians, this has placed Nigeria on the same dictatorship map as Iran, North Korea, China, Afghanistan and Turkey.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had announced the suspension in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

The minister cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

He said the Federal Government had also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT (over-the-top) and social media operations in the country. OTT channels include Netflix, You tube and other video channels that bypasses conventional cable/TV to reach millions across the world.

The statement was released by Mr Segun Adeyemi, Special Assistant to the President (Media), office of the Minister.

The Federal Government has condemned the reaction of social media outfit, Twitter, to President Muhammadu Buhari’s series of tweets via his verified Twitter handle @mbuhari.

But the action of the government has angered some Nigerians including known Buhari supporters who said the suspension was needless and would give the President a bad reputation in the eyes of the global community.

Buhari had on Tuesday via his Twitter handle warned that `rude shock awaits’ those unpatriotic elements promoting insurrection and burning critical national assets across the country.

“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War.

“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,’’ the president stated via his twitter page.

Twitter, however, was reported to have deleted the tweet, stating: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules”.

Reacting to the development, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, accused Twitter of double standard, saying twitter had deliberately ignored inciting tweets by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and his cohorts.

The minister also accused twitter of displaying the same biases it did during the ENDSARS protest where government and private property were looted and set on fire, taming its human rights, while “it finds Buhari’s tweet offensive’’.

According to him, Twitter’s role is suspect and Nigeria will not be fooled.

He said: “Twitter may have its own rules; it’s not the universal rule. If Mr President, anywhere in the world feels very bad and concern about a situation, he is free to express such views.

“Now, we should stop comparing apples with oranges. If an organisation is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed.

“Two, any organisation that gives directives to its members, to attack police stations, to kill policemen, to attack correctional centres, to kill warders, and you are now saying that Mr President does not have the right to express his dismay and anger about that? We are the ones guilty of double standards.

“I don’t see anywhere in the world where an organisation, a person will stay somewhere outside Nigeria, and will direct his members to attack the symbols of authority, the police, the military, especially when that organisation has been proscribed.

“By whatever name, you can’t justify giving orders to kill policemen or to kill anybody you do not agree with.”