Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Twitter Ban Reaction: Federal Govt Summons US, EU, UK Envoys

The Federal Government of Nigeria has summoned the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), European Union (EU), Canada, Norway and Republic of Ireland over their condemnation of the government’s ban on Twitter.

The envoys are to explain the reason behind such allegedly brazen criticism of the Nigerian Government policy.

The sunmon was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressing that the affected Envoys have been asked to report to the Ministry by 12pm on Monday June 7, 2021.

The six diplomatic missions in Nigeria had expressed outrage over the ‘indefinite suspension’ of the microblogging social media platform, Twitter, saying it violated the freedom of speech of Nigerians and could affect businesses and investments in Nigeria.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, who announced Twitter’s suspension, on Friday, noted that the ban was because of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The Nigerian government’s indefinite suspension of the operations of Twitter in Nigeria followed the deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweets against insurrectionists in the South Eastern part of the country where the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu, is instigating separatist activities.

The further disclosed that 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 Nigeria.”

But in a joint statement issued on Saturday, the foreign diplomatic missions of the US, EU delegation to Nigeria, UK, Canada, Republic of Ireland and Norway, described the ban as a measure to inhibit access to information.

“We strongly support the fundamental human right of free expression and access to information as a pillar of democracy in Nigeria as around the world and these rights apply online as well as offline. Banning systems of expression is not the answer.”

The statement said further that, “these measures inhibit access to information and commerce at precisely the moment when Nigeria needs to foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions, as well as share vital information in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less, communication to accompany the concerted efforts of Nigeria’s citizens in fulsome dialogue toward unity, peace and prosperity. As Nigeria’s partners, we stand ready to assist in achieving these goals.”

____

Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng

Copyright 2021 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Related

News

Ijaw leader and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has called for sanction against the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, for allegedly spreading...

News

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has condemned the attack on him by the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, for stating the Federal...

News

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved 2.8 billion naira for the procurement of software for the National Population Commission for the conduct of...

News

The federal government yesterday said it paid $446m out of the $496m settlement claim to Global Steel Holdings Limited following the termination of a...

Copyright ©