…As Makinde, Editors Guild Make Passionate Plea to FG to Rescind Ban In a move signalling the wielding of a big stick on citizens who have reconnected to Twitter via Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, has directed the immediate prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government’s
…As Makinde, Editors Guild Make Passionate Plea to FG to Rescind Ban
In a move signalling the wielding of a big stick on citizens who have reconnected to Twitter via Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, has directed the immediate prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government’s ban on operations of the microblogging and social networking site in Nigeria.
This is coming amid the plea by Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to rescind the ban, arguing that Twitter is “a platform for young people and all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish various opinions.”
Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Segun Adeyemi, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
In a statement issued by Dr Umar Gwandu, his special assistant on Media and Public Relations on Saturday in Abuja, Malami directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) of the office of the Attorney General to swing into action and commence in earnest the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government de-activation of operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
He also directed the DPPF to liaise with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, National Communication Commission (NCC) and other relevant government agencies to ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders without any further delay.
The Federal Government has also directed telecoms operators to enforce the Twitter suspension.
The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said it has also received directives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to suspend access to Twitter.
ALTON President, Mr Gbenga Adebayo disclosed this in a statement made available on Saturday.
The directive follows Friday’s indefinite suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria after the social media giant deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet.
Adebayo noted that the association wished to confirm that its members had received formal instructions from NCC, the industry regulator, to suspend access to Twitter.
“ALTON has also conducted a robust assessment of the request in accordance with internationally accepted principles.
“Based on national interest provisions in the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and within the licence terms under which the industry operates; our members have acted in compliance with the directives of NCC.
“We will continue to engage all relevant authorities and stakeholders and will act as may be further directed by the NCC, ” Adebayo said.
The ALTON boss said the association remained committed to supporting the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and upholding the rights of citizens.
Adebayo said ALTON as an industry, however, endorsed the position of the United Nations that the rights held by people offline must also be protected online.
He noted that this included respecting and protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications.
Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde has appealed to the Federal Government to reverse the suspension of Twitter operations in the country for the greater good of Nigerians.
Makinde while reacting in a statement, described Twitter as a platform for young people and all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish various opinions.
“They use the platform to complain, argue and give feedback to the government and its agencies who in turn, use these to improve policies. This is a fundamental point that should be kept in mind as we debate the necessity of this suspension.
“As leaders, we should go beyond emotional reactions to issues and think about how our actions will affect the people we lead and our international ratings socially and economically.
“We should also remember that Twitter has gone beyond a source of communication for many of our hardworking youths in Nigeria.
“It has become a source of livelihood for many, irrespective of their political affiliations or religious leanings. Nigerian youths and digital communications organisations earn a living from being able to use the platform to post communications on behalf of their clients.
“Others who may not have physical stores also rely on Twitter to give visibility to their products and services.”
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has also urged the Federal Government to tread with caution and immediately reconsider the suspension of the operation of Twitter in Nigeria and seek other legitimate means of resolving its dispute with the company.
In a statement by its president, Mr Mustapha Isah Osikhekha and General Secretary, Mr Iyobosa Uwugiaren respectively, the NGE said that the Federal Government’s action has the unintended consequence of jeopardising the economic interests of many Nigerians who rely on the social media platform for vital information to make informed business decisions daily.
Advising the Federal Government to desist from any action that would project the Nigerian government as a dictatorship, the Nigerian editors said that the action is an infringement on Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution and violates the right of Nigerians to interact freely on this platform.
‘’In addition, the suspension is a grave breach of Nigeria’s international obligations under article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
‘’The Guild sees the Federal Government’s action as an overreaction to Twitter’s decision to delete President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet early this week.
‘’If the Federal Government finds Twitter’s action against the President objectionable, Nigerians should not be made to suffer the collateral damage of denying them their right to freely discourse on Twitter’’, the Guild added.
The Guild noted that the Federal Government had in an initial reaction by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, condemned the deletion of President Buhari’s view as an unacceptable tab on the President’s right, saying this ought to have been a sufficient response.
‘’However, the ban at the weekend, of Twitter’s operation in Nigeria, is an overkill that gives wind to the sail of critics who daily accuse the Buhari administration of intolerance of opposing views.
‘’Certainly, the Federal Government has the responsibility to safeguard the unity, peace and stability of Nigeria and any person or group that threatens this must draw its ire. In expressing its anger, the Federal Government, however, ought to exercise restraints to avoid giving the impression that it is intolerant of opposing views and expression of opinion by individual and corporate citizens’’, the Guild stated.
Stressing its concern over the growing insecurity in the country, the Guild advised social media leaders, which provide micro-messaging services, to also beam their searchlight on the activities of those who want to use their platforms to cause divisions and spread hatred in the country and the global community as well.
Noting the socio-political and economic benefits of social media platforms, the NGE explained that strong democracies rely on both civic and political participation by citizens, saying that Twitter, has over the years, aided citizens’ participation in the nation’s democratic process.
‘’The Guild is aware of the democratizing influence of social media platforms, including Twitter, in helping to check dictatorship and promote democracy worldwide.
‘’Twitter also builds a market research prospect for businesses to see what customers are chit-chatting about, their feeling and what is important to them about products and services’’, the Guild said,
The Guild therefore called on the Federal Government to immediately rescind its decision in order not to deny millions of Nigerians who rely on Twitter to provide services and earn a living.
Popular social commentator, Prof Farooq Kperogi also tweeted: “Does Lai Mohammed know that there’s a little something called VPN that Nigerians can use to circumvent the Federal Government’s so-called ban on Twitter in Nigeria? These ignorant, prehistoric creatures in gov’t never cease to amaze with their insufferable boneheadedness.”
Microblogging service provider, Twitter however said on Saturday it was working to restore access to those affected by the Federal Government suspension of its services in Nigeria.
It said in a brief statement; “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world. #KeepitOn.
“Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society”, Twitter’s public policy team tweeted on Saturday.
The Federal Government in a reaction to Twitter’ s decision to delete statements it considered offensive in President Muhammadu’s recent tweets referencing the country’s civil war, announced the suspension on Friday, claiming that it had infringed on the right to free speech.
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