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  • Go beyond Twitter ban, dissolve Nigeria, Ozekhome tells FG

    Go beyond Twitter ban, dissolve Nigeria, Ozekhome tells FG

    Human rights lawyer and social commentator, Mike Ozekhome SAN, has asked the Federal Government to go beyond the suspension of micro-blogging site, Twitter, and “dissolve the Nigerian people which it has become so allergic to and no longer wants to see or hear about”.

    The senior advocate also averred that the government is trying to cover its atrocities from global exposure with its decision to suspend the operations of Twitter in the country.

    Ozekhome made this known in a statement on Friday titled, ‘When A Tottering Government Twiddles Twitter’.

    He said, “Well, I am not surprised that the Federal Government has suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria. Are you? I have always said that this Government has a very thin skin for criticism. It is a government that cannot take punches, but delights in always giving punches to adversaries, real or imaginary.

    “The Government knows that Nigerians now express their resentment and protest through Twitter, by telling the whole world how Nigeria has been turned into a corruption haven, and a sprawling field of butchery, extra-judicial executions and slaughtering.

    “Those in Government do not want the world to hear about their atrocities. So, they just gleefully tell the world that they have suspended Twitter and that they would soon license other OTT and social media operations. These people in Government know that Nigerians have been reaching out to the whole world, and they are very embarrassed that the breeze has been blowing, and the smelly backside of the fowl is always being opened for the whole world to see and smell its odorous side.

    “This is the same Government that undeservedly rode to power using the same Twitter and other social media platforms it now detests.

    “My humble appeal to this Government is that it should go further than this. It should actually suspend or dissolve the Nigerian people which it has become so allergic to and no longer wants to see or hear about. Then, it can now go ahead to elect or select another people in place of the present Nigerians who appear to have become a nuisance to it.

    “I am greatly disappointed about this government round and round. I feel very sad as a Nigerian being led by a Government of one scandal per day.”

     

  • #Twitterban: Nigerian government out of touch with plight of young people- Banky W

    #Twitterban: Nigerian government out of touch with plight of young people- Banky W

    The indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria by the Federal Government has aroused reactions from Nigerian celebrities.

    TheNewsGuru had earlier reported that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension of Twitter activities on Friday via an official statement on the micro-blogging site.

    In his reaction, Nigerian singer and filmmaker, Banky W stated that the federal government is out of touch with the plight of young people.

     

     

    “They can’t stop kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism. The country is as unsafe as ever, yet they can seize passports and block bank accounts of peaceful protesters. They ban cryptocurrency, they ban Twitter. FG is completely out of touch with the plight of young people.

    “The retirement age in Nigeria is 65. What if we decide not to vote for anyone over the age of 65? Regardless of party. If you’ll be over 65 at the time of elections, we won’t vote for you. It’ll at least eliminate an entire group that has had enough opportunities to fix this mess

    “We did #NotTooYoungToRun. Can we consider doing #NowToOldToRule? If you’re over 65, you’ve had your chance to help fix this mess. Isn’t it time for that entire generation to rest? The Nigerian Government should not be a retirement home. It’s worth a thought. It’s worth a shot”.

     

     

  • Twitter suspension: Nigerians find solace in VPNs to bypass restrictions

    Twitter suspension: Nigerians find solace in VPNs to bypass restrictions

    Nigerians on social media have opted for the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to evade restrictions due to the suspension of Twitter operations by the Federal Government in the county.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that The Federal Government on Friday at about 11:59pm officially suspended operations of Twitter in the country.

    It was learnt that all telecom operators were directed to disable twitter on their various networks early Saturday.

    TheNewsGuru gathered that many users complained of not being able to Tweet from their various accounts with their mobile networks.

    Some others also said they were tweeting through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

    From the basic explanation of what VPN is, using it will help conceal your internet protocol (IP) address — the unique number that identifies you and your location in the world.

     

    One of the advantages of using VPN is that it changes your IP address.

    This implies that with a new IP address — which can be that of any country of your choice — you can use Twitter as if you’re in your selected country without restriction.

    The sanction of the social media service has continued to spark widespread outrage, with many Nigerians, condemning the decision.

     

    The minister of information, Lai Mohammed said the suspension was hinged on “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.

    Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha in a terse tweet around 11:59pm on Friday said, “I will be deactivating my twitter account for now. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

     

  • Aisha Buhari disables account as FG suspends Twitter

    Aisha Buhari disables account as FG suspends Twitter

    Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, on Friday night, neutralized her Twitter account hours after the government of her husband, Muhammadu Buhari announced the suspension of the micro-blogging site.

    “I will be deactivating my Twitter account for now. Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria,” she tweeted at 11:59pm on Friday.

    Minutes later, the account, which had over one million followers as of June 4, was no longer available on the social media platform.

    TheNewsGuru reports that Mrs Buhari, who is well-known for her aggressive criticisms of her husband’s government, had in the past made some of her dissatisfaction known via Twitter.

    TheNewsGuru had earlier reported that Twitter deleted a post by the Nigerian President on Tuesday.

    Consequently, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who had accused Twitter of double standards, announced the suspension of the microblogging site on Friday, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.

    However, checks by our correspondent showed that Twitter is no longer functional in Nigeria, except for individuals who use VPNS(Virtual private networks).

     

  • NBA, Amnesty International, PDP others condemn FG’s ban on Twitter

    NBA, Amnesty International, PDP others condemn FG’s ban on Twitter

    Amnesty International, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Peoples Democratic party among other stakeholder public have asked the Federal Government to reverse its decision to suspend the operations of the social media platform, Twitter, in Nigeria.

    In a statement issued on Twitter, Amnesty International also urged the Federal Government to suspend plans to gag the media.

    The tweet thread reads:

     

     

    Twitter ban: No constitutional authority to support FG’s peremptory action – NBA

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said that there is no constitutional nor legal authority that supports the ban of Twitter by the Federal Government.

    NBA President, Olumide Akpata disclosed this in a statement on Friday night.

    Akapata described the government’s decision as illegal and threatened to challenge in court, the decision of the government to suspend the operations of the microblogging site.

    Twitter had deleted a post by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, and this prompted the government to announce a ban.

    Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension earlier on Friday, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.

    The minister’s statement was silent regarding the time that the ban would be enforced however, the pronouncement stirred various reactions locally and internationally, with the NBA arguing that the ban infringes on the right Nigerians to freely express their constitutionally guaranteed opinions through Twitter.

    Below is the statement put out by the President of the NBA.

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has noted with great concern the extraordinary decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria and, by necessary implication, the right of Nigerians to freely express their constitutionally guaranteed opinions through that medium.

    The Federal Government also directed the Nigerian Communications Commission to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria, which is, at best, yet another disguised attempt to regulate social media, restrict freedom of speech and shrink civic space.

    Whether one likes it or not, we are operating a constitutional democracy, the primary consequence of which is that every thing must be done according to law; and government must be conducted within the framework of recognised rules and principles which restrict discretionary power.

    The Nigerian Bar Association finds no constitutional or legal authority to support the peremptory action of the Federal Government to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria and deprive Nigerians of their right to freely express their constitutionally guaranteed opinions. Beyond the dent on our constitutional democracy, at a time when the Nigerian economy is unarguably struggling, the impact of arbitrary decisions such as this on investor confidence is better imagined.

    Consequently, if this decision is not immediately reversed, the Nigerian Bar Association will have no choice but to challenge same in the interest of the public and our democracy.

    Olumide Akpata.
    President, Nigeria Bar Association.

    Twitter suspension: ”Halt this international shame ”- PDP tells Buhari

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the decision of the Federal government to suspend the operation of Twitter in Nigeria as an international shame and has called on the President to immediately rescind it.

    The party shared its thought in a statement released by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbodiyan.

    In the statement, the party reminded President Buhari that it was on the same Twitter that he used to campaign for President in 2015 and 2019.

     

    Read the statement below

     
    <blockquote>”The party said it vehemently rejects the unwarranted suspension of the social media platform, Twitter, by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, describing it as a draconian action and a slide towards a fascist regime in our country.

    The party asserts that the suspension of twitter, is a vexatious, condemnable and barbaric move to muzzle Nigerians, particularly the youths, ostensibly to prevent them from holding the overtly corrupt, vindictive and divisive Buhari administration accountable for its atrocities, including human right violations, patronizing of terrorists and outright suppressive acts against innocent Nigerians.

    Our party is appalled that the Federal Government could exhibit such primitive intolerance and power intoxication because the social media giant demonstrated international best practices in not allowing the Buhari presidency to use Twitter as a platform to propagate and spread the Buhari administration’s hatred towards Nigerians.

    The PDP insists that rather than being a platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence, as claimed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Nigerians, particularly the youths, have been using the social media platform, largely, for activities that promote unity, as well as social, economic and commercial interaction in our country.

    Our party notes that Mr. Lai Mohammed, in his statement, failed to cite an example of where Nigerians used Twitter as a platform to promote acts that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as he claimed.

    Of course, the failure to give any such instance, confirms that the Federal Government is only out to victimize Nigerians.

    The Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration are only afraid of Nigerians on Twitter because of their evil machinations for which they dread the Nigerian youths.

    Moreover, freedom of speech is firmly guaranteed in our constitution and the Buhari administration should be ready to face Nigerians over its misrule.

    In the case of any infringement, our nation has adequate extant laws to deal with such and not this move to gag the people.

    The PDP therefore charges President Buhari to end this assault against Nigerians by immediately and unconditionally rescinding its decision to ban Twitter, as such amounts to pushing our citizens to the wall.

    Afterall, it was the same Twitter that provided President Buhari and the APC the platform to campaign in 2015 and 2019.

    It is also on record that President Buhari would not be the first President in the world whose tweet would be deleted.

    When it happened to former US President Donald Trump, he was not known to have deployed any act coercion against Twitter.

    Our party invites President Buhari to halt this international shame by rescinding this ugly decision.”</blockquote>

  • First Lady, Aisha Buhari deactivates Twitter account in support of her husband

    First Lady, Aisha Buhari deactivates Twitter account in support of her husband

    Aisha Buhari, Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has announced the deactivation of her Twitter account following the ban on the microblogging site by the Nigerian government.

    Nigeria’s information and culture minister, Lai Mohammed, had announced Twitter’s suspension in a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi, on Friday.


    The suspension by the Nigerian government comes days after a post by President Buhari on the 1967 civil war was deleted by the microblogging platform.

    Apparently showing solidarity with her husband’s administration, Aisha, who joined Twitter in February 2016, and has over one million followers on Friday, said she was deleting her account.

    “I will be deactivating my Twitter account for now. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” she tweeted.

  • Amnesty International to FG: Reverse unlawful suspension of Twitter, halt plans to gag media

    Amnesty International to FG: Reverse unlawful suspension of Twitter, halt plans to gag media

    Amnesty International has asked the Federal Government to reverse its decision to suspend the operations of the social media platform, Twitter, in Nigeria.

    In a statement issued on Twitter, Amnesty International also urged the Federal Government to suspend plans to gag the media.

    The tweet thread reads:

     

     

    The Federal Government had on Friday said it has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
    announced the suspension in a statement issued by his office in Abuja.

    The statement, signed by Ministry spokesperson, Segun Adeyemi, cited the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

    According to the statement, the Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.

  • 5 Ways Nigeria, Nigerians will suffer as FG suspends Twitter operations

    5 Ways Nigeria, Nigerians will suffer as FG suspends Twitter operations

    The Nigerian social media space has been abuzz following the announcement of the Federal Government’s decision to suspend operations of Twitter in the country.

    The decision comes after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, in which PMB alluded to his experience during the bloody Nigerian Civil War of 1967–1970 and threatened to punish those instigating chaos in the country.

    Justifying FG’s action against Twitter, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed said it is due to “the persistent use of the platform for activities… capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”

    This development is the newest action out of numerous approaches employed by the Buhari-led government to control online expression that are critical of its policies and decisions. Recall the ruling government had placed series of suspension on several media outlets, fined lots of Television stations as well as adopted measures like website blocking and arresting content posters who are perceived enemies of the government or proliferators of political views that affect its interests.

    Reviewing the decision of the Nigerian government to suspend Twitter operation in the country, TheNewsGuru (TNG) highlights five key ways Nigeria and Nigerians may suffer:

    1. Loss of jobs:

    Nigeria is facing its worst official unemployment crisis, and things may worsen for the country with the suspension of a social network as big as Twitter, which not only provides job opportunities for youths in the digital marketing/social media influencer industry but also serves as a backbone to several fledgling startups who rely on same to connect with the world.

    The ripple effects of FG’s decision to ban Twitter operation in Nigeria may imply that several social media managers managing accounts of corporate entities and public organisations may be relieved of their jobs. On the other hand, operations of Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in large numbers may break down since they mostly depend on social networks like Twitter to engage with their customers – this also means huge loss of jobs and it is bad news for the country and such pressure will frustrate the ruling government.

    2.Further scare foreign investors:

    The federal government’s decision to crackdown on social media networks will no doubt send negative signals to foreign investors, another obstacle that may continue to dissuade them from investing in Nigeria.

    Twitter in its quest to situate a base in Africa recently ignored Nigeria for Ghana seemingly because of the former’s inconducive business environment coupled with the erratic decisions by its government.

    According to NOI polls, 39.6 million Nigerians have a Twitter account, which is more than the entire 32 million population of Ghana but this couldn’t sway us the favour.
    In a statement announcing the decision, Twitter described Ghana “as a champion for democracy, a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet. It also cited Ghana’s hosting of the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as another reason for moving there, saying it aligns with its ambition to establish a presence in the region.
    From the above, it is obvious Nigeria is unserious about endearing foreign investors to boost its economy.

    3.Damage Nigeria’s reputation in the global community:

    Over the year, the Buhari-led government has been criticised several times for trying to curb internet freedom in different ways.

    With the suspension handed Twitter, the Nigerian government has further cast a shadow of doubt’s on itself as regards the protection right to freedom of information in the country.

    As such, FG’s attack on Twitter are as damaging to the country’s reputation as they are for the company.

    The buzz about the ban comes barely six months after United States placed Nigeria for the first time on a religious freedom blacklist- Now, Nigeria by its actions joins the list of countries such as China, Uganda, Iran, North Korea that have restricted the use of the platform.

    4.May Spark International Dispute:

    The strained relations between tech giant, Twitter and the Nigerian government may indirectly affect Nigeria’s relationship with America, other western countries if not well managed.

    Twitter is an American big tech and an attack on the social network may backfire on the Nigerian government. With the suspension of Twitter operation, Nigeria will be moving towards a police state, which is a valid comparison with China and such stance are far from the democratic values of America.

    5. Widen gap between the governed and the government

    The decision of the federal government to issue suspension to Twitter will totally break down the already weakened link between Nigerians and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

    There are many key benefits that a social media network like Twitter brings to the governed and the government —including social’s role in awareness building and during times of crisis. On social Media, people can engage in direct dialogue with politicians, civic officials, and even entire government agencies but this may discontinue in Nigeria as government go harsh on social media networks.

  • Buhari-led govt dragged to court over suspension of Twitter in Nigeria

    Buhari-led govt dragged to court over suspension of Twitter in Nigeria

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has vowed to sue the Nigerian Federal Government for suspending a micro-blogging site ‘Twitter’ indefinitely.

    Buhari had in a series of tweets said: “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.”

    In its reaction the micro-blogging site deleted Buhari’s tweet, noting that it “violated the Twitter Rules”.

    Angry with Twitter’s action, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Mohammed, accused Twitter of double standard, wondering why the social media giant has conveniently ignored alleged inciting tweets by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and his cohorts. He described Twitter’s mission in Nigeria as suspect.

    However, descending on Twitter on Friday, FG suspended the operations and activities of the Micro-blogging site.

    “The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.

    “The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

    “The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting l Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria”, the statement read,

    Irked by FG’s decision, SERAP via Twitter promised to sue Nigerian Federal Government for suspending Twitter.

    “Nigerians have a right to freedom of expression and access to information including online, and we plan to fight to keep it that way.

    “@NigeriaGov, we’ll see you in court.”

  • TRENDING: Nigerians react as FG announces suspension of Twitter operations on same platform

    TRENDING: Nigerians react as FG announces suspension of Twitter operations on same platform

    Reactions have trailed the Federal Government’s decision to suspend operations of Twitter in Nigeria on Friday.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

    The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.

    However, Nigerians in their numbers flooded the social media platform shortly after the announcement saying it was hilarious for the government to make such announcement via same platform it intended to suspend.

    See reactions below:

    https://twitter.com/Danny_Walterr/status/1400856887852163072?s=20

    https://twitter.com/firstdoctorr/status/1400859505076879368?s=20