…SERAP to sue govt. over suspension
The Federal Government has suspended the operations of Twitter, a microblogging and social networking service, in Nigeria indefinitely.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, via a statement issued by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Segun Adeyemi, yesterday.
The Minister cited the persistent use of the platform for activities that are 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 and social media operations in the country.
The ban comes after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari threatening some Nigerians with a repeat of the Biafra war, sparking an angry reaction from some quarters.
The minister cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has vowed to sue the Federal Government for suspending the micro-blogging site.
SERAP, via Twitter, said, “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”.
