…US Mission in Nigeria says ban is against Constitution
The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, (NPAN), has called for the reversal of the suspension of Twitter, describing the ban as regressive.
In an issued statement by its President, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, the association called for dialogue in resolving the issues between the Federal Government and the micro-blogging platform.
Recall that the Federal Government had on Friday suspended Twitter indefinitely after the social media platform deleted a tweet by the President. The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, accused Twitter of promoting disunity and undermining the nation’s security.
In the statement, NPAN noted that it was the threat of “maximum state reprisal” against the insurrectionists in the South-East that Twitter found objectionable and decided to delete the post in line with its policy.
According to the NPAN, Nigerians have also questioned Twitter for its alleged double standard by hasting to sanction Buhari “while pampering an unrestrained Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)”, whom it noted “used same Twitter not just for serial hate speeches but for actually provoking and justifying violence in his separatist agitations.”
The NPAN noted that the insurrectionists in the South-East “have been committing arson against public assets like Police stations, prisons and the courts; freeing prisoners from lawful custody, killing policemen and soldiers as well as harmless civilians.”
“To the extent that Twitter may have been hasty in sanctioning President Buhari and shown an uneven application of its rules against separatist, Kanu; its sincerity stands questioned. It should correct itself”, it added.
The association, however, reiterated that suspending the platform was not the solution, saying that at this period of the nation’s history, the country needs friends and not enemies globally.
“There should be a compromise; Nigeria needs friends and not enemies at this critical juncture of her existence. She should not play into the hands of the enemies who are relentless in seeking to destroy and ostracise her. Banning Twitter is regressive and should be rescinded in favour of dialogue”, the association affirmed.
Similarly, the United States government has told the Federal Government that its suspension of Twitter in the country undermines the citizens’ ability to exercise their fundamental freedoms and sends a poor message to investors and citizens.
The US government, in a statement by its embassy in Nigeria yesterday, said the suspension will curb every citizen’s ability to seek, receive, and impart information, adding that it also undermines fundamental freedoms.
According to the statement, “Nigeria’s Constitution provides for freedom of expression. The government’s recent #Twitter ban undermines Nigerians’ ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses”.
