- Says Ban TemporaryÂ
The United States has reacted to the ban placed on the operations of the social media giant, Twitter in Nigeria by the federal government.
Following government’s directive on Friday to halt Twitter operations, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) implemented the order on Friday’s midnight, suspending internet access to Twitter, even though some Nigerians have been bypassing the restrictions through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
The Nigerian government has, however, issued an order for the prosecution of persons accessing the micro-blogging website via VPNs.
Reacting to the ruckus in a statement posted on Twitter, the US Mission in Nigeria said the action by the Nigerian government in suspending the American tech company’s operations undermines citizen’s fundamental freedom.
It also noted that the development could send a wrong signal to investors aiming to do business with Nigeria.
“Nigeria’s constitution provides for freedom of expression. The Government’s recent #Twitterban undermines Nigerians’ ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses,” the statement reads.
“Banning social media and curbing every citizen’s ability to seek, receive, and impart information undermines fundamental freedoms. As President Biden has stated, our need for individual expression, open public conversation, and accountability has never been greater.
“The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less communication, alongside concerted efforts toward unity, peace, and prosperity.”
But President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday reiterated that the “temporary suspension” on Twitter is not only linked to a tweet posted on his Twitter account, but said there has been a “litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria,” leading to the Friday’s action.
In a statement released on Saturday by Mr Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, the presidency said: “The temporary suspension of Twitter is not just a response to the removal of the President’s post. There has been a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences. All the while, the company has escaped accountability.
Nevertheless, the removal of President Buhari’s tweet was disappointing. The censoring seemed based on a misunderstanding of the challenges Nigeria faces today.
“The President in his address at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA in 2019 said “the world was shocked and startled by the massacre in New Zealand by a lone gunman taking the lives of 50 worshippers.”
“This and similar crimes which have been fuelled by social media networks risk seeping into the fabric of an emerging digital culture.
“Major tech companies must be alive to their responsibilities. They cannot be allowed to continue to facilitate the spread of religious, racist, xenophobic and false messages capable of inciting whole communities against each other, leading to loss of many lives. This could tear some countries apart.
“President Buhari has therefore been warning against social media’s disruptive and divisive influences and the government’s action is not a knee-jerk reaction to Twitter’s preposterous deletion of his tweet which should have been read in full.
“The tweet was not a threat, but a statement of fact.
“A terrorist organisation (IPOB) poses a significant threat to the safety and security of Nigerian citizens.
“President Buhari has therefore been warning against social media’s disruptive and divisive influences and the government’s action is not a knee-jerk reaction to Twitter’s preposterous deletion of his tweet which should have been read in full.
“When the President said that they will be treated “in a language they understand,” he merely reiterated that their force shall be met with force. It is a basic principle of security services response world over.
“This is not promotion of hate, but a pledge to uphold citizens’ right to freedom from harm. The government cannot be expected to capitulate to terrorists.
“IPOB is proscribed under Nigerian law. Its members murder innocent Nigerians. They kill policemen and set government property on fire. Now, they have amassed a substantial stockpile of weapons and bombs across the country.
“Twitter does not seem to appreciate the national trauma of our country’s civil war. This government shall not allow a recurrence of that tragedy.”
