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Twitter Ban: Nigerians Defy Federal Government’s Twitter Ban

Twitter Ban: Nigerians Defy Federal Government’s Twitter Ban

History will definitely not forget the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.  The Federal Government’s ban of Twitter operations in Nigeria seems to have no effect on Nigerians as many logged on to the microblogging site in large numbers on Saturday to slam President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

The ban took effect barely two days after Twitter, on Wednesday, deleted a controversial tweet posted by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the Biafran war of 1967-1970 which led to loss of many lives.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who on Friday announced the indefinite suspension of the operations of Twitter in the country, cited what he described as “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

According to him, the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission “to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.”

Read More: Nigeria Cyberspace Denies Access To Twitter Usershttps://agnesisika.com/nigeria-cyberspace-denies-access-to-twitter-users/

Hours later, telecommunications companies in Nigeria, including MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile, started blocking access to Twitter, with the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria saying it had received a directive from the NCC to block access to the social networking site.

However, the directive drew the ire of Nigerians, who protested the ban with the top-trending hashtag #KeepitOn that had gained over 260,000 tweets at 8.30pm on Saturday. Among the other top-five trends were #TwitterBan with more than 322,000 tweets, and #BuhariMustGo, which was tweeted over 90,000 times.

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, tweeted, “Here’s a sliver of hope one finds in this tragedy of our @NigeriaGov’s #TwitterBan. The depth of the administration’s anger shows that our citizens are slowly but surely winning in their demand for a Nigeria that works. Citizens are maturing faster than the ‘leaders.’

“@Twitter enormously helped the emergence of engaged citizens and the voice in our land. Think of #Office of Citizen. The abduction of the 219 ChibokGirls was broadcast on this platform by @BBCNews. I am @obyezeks and vehemently oppose the #TwitterBanNigeria #KeepitOn.”

The Editor-in-Chief, Stears Business, Tokunbo Afikuyomi Jr, tweeted, “2023 is too far. Let’s start pushing impeachment. Successful or not, the threat and momentum of it can be powerful for our present and future democracy.”

Singer-songwriter, Banky Wellington, tweeted, “S’oro s’oke!!! This is not the time to back down. This is the time to speak up and stand up for our rights. They just made young people more motivated than ever to participate in our democracy. No more apathy. #NigeriaBelongsToUs”

Co-founder, #BringBackOurGirls, Aisha Yesufu, in a series of tweets, described Buhari’s 12-year struggle to assume office as a waste, saying she was prepared to face whatever consequences awaited her for her defiance.

She tweeted, “I made peace with myself and have prepared myself for either arrest or assassination. They can only kill my body, but not my voice that is in lots of videos and audios.”

Popular #EndSARS activist, DJ Switch, tagged the Federal Government as “BANdits,” saying they “ban crypto, ban protests, ban Twitter.”

She added, “The regime is evil and autocratic. They are doing testing… mic check! Hmm… We are not ready to sacrifice! It’s the only way! It is time to act o! If you can use Twitter, I suggest every single one of us unfollow these government handles and agencies. Reduce their followership to zero. Let them use NTA! #TwitterBan.”

We are of the opinion that the Nigerian government is trying to control the masses and stop them from airing their views! But if the people are united and in solidarity, they will defend their rights against this cruel government.

Are you a Nigerian and unable to log on to Twitter? Kindly drop your comments here.

 

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