By BASHIR ADEFAKA
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 Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
The DEFENDER, earlier on Friday in a report titled “Mission of Twitter in Nigeria is suspicious, Govt accuses US technology of double standards”, had said some patriotic Nigerians called on the Federal Government saying, “Like in Uganda, Nigeria can suspend Twitter, Facebook if…”.
The DEFENDER, in a Thursday report, had reported that Twitter shamed pro-IPOB/ESN Nigerians including some senators, lawyers and media practitioners of the REGION’S extractions, who called on Twitter to suspend the President’s Twitter account in display of their solidarity with the terrorists. Twitter said the President did not breach ant rules by his post.
Update emerging later saw that Twitter, although sticking to its decision not to suspend the President’s account, went ahead to delete a video posted by the President while leaving the text on.
Reacting to the development, Nigria’s government expressed doubts about the mission of Twitter in the country. It will be recalled that Uganda, another West African country, recently recorded peaceful conduct of its election because it suspended operation of all social media including Twitter and Facebook for the period of the process, an action that Nigeria’s government has the rights and power to evoke since a grieving peace and security of the country and its people is statutory, according to some patriots.
“We have a country to rule, and we will do so to the best of our ability. Twitter’s mission in Nigeria is very suspect, they have an agenda. The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very suspicious,” Minister Mohammed said.
In the deleted tweet, President Buhari had made a reference to the country’s 30-month civil war in 1967-1970, warning “those who wanted the government to fail” to desist from fomenting trouble.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigeria 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 tweeted Tuesday night.
Twitter deleted the President’s post on Wednesday, following criticisms from some pro-IPOB/ESN Nigerians.
However, Mohammed questioned the rule of Twitter.
“Twitter may have its own rules, it’s not the universal rule. If Mr. President, anywhere in the world feels very bad and concerned about a situation, he is free to express such views,” he said.
The social networking service, he said, had overlooked the tweets of leading secessionists who are now by their criminalities branded terrorists in Nigeria.
“When people were burning police stations and killing policemen in Nigeria during End SARS, a decentralised social movement, for Twitter, it was about the right to protest. But when a similar thing happened in the United States, it became insurrection,” Mohammed said.
