Twitter Pushes Back On Fed Govt Ban

Micro blogging social platform, Twitter, has pushed back on ban
by the Federal Government.

It described it as brazen affront on citizens fundamental human
rights and advised its users and other social media platforms in
the country to download virtual private networks (VPNs) to enable
them continue to use the platforms for their economic survival and
social and political engagements while the “push back on this
draconian order by the Nigerian government.”

In a statement, Twitter said: “Today, the 4th of June 2021, the
Federal Government of Nigeria announced its suspension of Twitter
operations, that the application can be used as a platform for
activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate
existence.

“Many Nigerians read the announcement of the ban on Twitter as a
reflection of the importance of the platform and other digital
(social media) platforms to Nigerians in accessing information and
disseminating the same.

“The directive by the Nigerian government is at its core, an
abuse of the rights of Nigerians not just to freedom of expression,
but many other rights guaranteed in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution
(as amended), the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This
suspension, which is a reaction of the Nigerian government to the
company’s enforcement of its platform rules, is aimed at insulating
the government from criticism, especially by Nigeria’s youth who
are over 70% of the country’s population.

“It must be noted that Nigeria’s President has notably been
insulated from every form of public accountability. He is perhaps
the only president since the country’s return to democracy in 1999
who never grants live interviews or holds media chats. This move is
therefore aimed at making him unaccountable to the people of
Nigeria who constantly take to social media platforms to share
their views on the actions and policies of the government.

“It is evident that shutting down Twitter is illegal and
illegitimate policies such as this are unacceptable!

“A 2016 United Nations resolution affirms that the rights that
citizens have offline must apply online. Coincidentally, this
resolution was co-sponsored by Nigeria with others. We urge the
Nigerian authorities to respect and enforce citizens’ fundamental
rights as provided for by the Nigerian constitution and
International human rights treaties that Nigeria is a party to.

“We will further contact the Ministry of Information to get
exact details of this announcement, and the legal framework that
supports such undemocratic pronouncement.

“We advise all users of twitter and other social media platforms
in Nigeria to download virtual private networks (VPNs) to enable
them continue to use the platforms for their economic survival and
social and political engagements while we all push back on this
draconian order by the Nigerian government.”

Micro blogging social platform, Twitter, has pushed back on ban
by the Federal Government.

It described it as brazen affront on citizens fundamental human
rights and advised its users and other social media platforms in
the country to download virtual private networks (VPNs) to enable
them continue to use the platforms for their economic survival and
social and political engagements while the “push back on this
draconian order by the Nigerian government.”

In a statement, Twitter said: “Today, the 4th of June 2021, the
Federal Government of Nigeria announced its suspension of Twitter
operations, that the application can be used as a platform for
activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate
existence.

“Many Nigerians read the announcement of the ban on Twitter as a
reflection of the importance of the platform and other digital
(social media) platforms to Nigerians in accessing information and
disseminating the same.

“The directive by the Nigerian government is at its core, an
abuse of the rights of Nigerians not just to freedom of expression,
but many other rights guaranteed in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution
(as amended), the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This
suspension, which is a reaction of the Nigerian government to the
company’s enforcement of its platform rules, is aimed at insulating
the government from criticism, especially by Nigeria’s youth who
are over 70% of the country’s population.

“It must be noted that Nigeria’s President has notably been
insulated from every form of public accountability. He is perhaps
the only president since the country’s return to democracy in 1999
who never grants live interviews or holds media chats. This move is
therefore aimed at making him unaccountable to the people of
Nigeria who constantly take to social media platforms to share
their views on the actions and policies of the government.

“It is evident that shutting down Twitter is illegal and
illegitimate policies such as this are unacceptable!

“A 2016 United Nations resolution affirms that the rights that
citizens have offline must apply online. Coincidentally, this
resolution was co-sponsored by Nigeria with others. We urge the
Nigerian authorities to respect and enforce citizens’ fundamental
rights as provided for by the Nigerian constitution and
International human rights treaties that Nigeria is a party to.

“We will further contact the Ministry of Information to get
exact details of this announcement, and the legal framework that
supports such undemocratic pronouncement.

“We advise all users of twitter and other social media platforms
in Nigeria to download virtual private networks (VPNs) to enable
them continue to use the platforms for their economic survival and
social and political engagements while we all push back on this
draconian order by the Nigerian government.”