•Urges Buhari to lift ban
As Nigerians continue to hope for peace in parts of the country, a Civil Society Organization, Concerned Nigerians Group, CNG, Friday, condemned the action of the Federal Government over suspension of Twitter operations in the country.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Convener, CNG, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, where the group pointed that the action of the Buhari-led administration was taken to far as it is a deliberate act to silence the voice of the media.
The statement reads in part, “We condemn in strong terms, the suspension of Twitter operations by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Twitter and Internet shutdowns in general are increasingly becoming a tool for governments all over the world to silence media reporting and restricting the fundamental right of citizens to have free access to information.”
The group concluded, “It is worthy of note that Information is essential for the functioning of modern societies and access to information denotes the right of citizens to obtain information regarding how they are governed.”
It also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to lift the ban on Twitter, “Freedom of Information Act allows openness and transparency in public governance, therefore, we urge President Buhari’s Federal Government of Nigeria to lift the ban on Twitter.”
Meanwhile, the group reacted following Federal Government’s announced suspension of operations of Twitter in Nigeria, by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture via Twitter, which reads thus, “The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
“The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
Also the Minister said, “The Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.”
