…Twitter: We will work to restore access for Nigerians
By David UkataOshomoshi
The Federal Government on Saturday said the removal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet by Twitter, the social media technology giant was disappointing, even as the government averred that such censoring was based on a misunderstanding of the challenges Nigeria faces today.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, in a statement said the temporary suspension of Twitter is not just a response to the removal of the President’s post.
According to Shehu, there has been a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences.
“All the while, the company has escaped accountability. Nevertheless, the removal of President Buhari’s tweet was disappointing. The censoring seemed based on a misunderstanding of the challenges Nigeria faces today.” He said.
The SSA recalled that the President in his address at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA in 2019 said “the world was shocked and startled by the massacre in New Zealand by a lone gunman taking the lives of 50 worshippers.”
“This and similar crimes which have been fueled by social media networks risk seeping into the fabric of an emerging digital culture.
“Major tech companies must be alive to their responsibilities. They cannot be allowed to continue to facilitate the spread of religious, racist, xenophobic and false messages capable of inciting whole communities against each other, leading to loss of many lives. This could tear some countries apart.
“President Buhari has therefore been warning against social media’s disruptive and divisive influences and the government’s action is not a knee-jerk reaction to Twitter’s preposterous deletion of his tweet which should have been read in full.” The SSA added.
The tweet was not a threat, but a statement of fact.
A terrorist organisation (IPOB) poses a significant threat to the safety and security of Nigerian citizens.
When the President said that they will be treated “in a language they understand,” he merely reiterated that their force shall be met with force. It is a basic principle of security services response world over.
This is not promotion of hate, but a pledge to uphold citizens’ right to freedom from harm. The government cannot be expected to capitulate to terrorists.
IPOB is proscribed under Nigerian law. Its members murder innocent Nigerians. They kill policemen and set government property on fire. Now, they have amassed a substantial stockpile of weapons and bombs across the country.
Twitter does not seem to appreciate the national trauma of our country’s civil war. This government shall not allow a recurrence of that tragedy.
However, following the suspension of the microblogging site on Friday by the Federal Government, Twitter via its policy handle, said access to open internet is an essential human right, adding however that it is concerned with the restrictions placed on its operations in Nigeria.
The Company said: “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #openinternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world.”
