Politics
Nigerian govt gives conditions to reverse Twitter ban
In a bid to redress the fallout that emanated from the ban on Twitter usage, the Nigerian Government on Monday disclosed conditions required before a reversal can be effected.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama during a meeting with envoys of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union in Abuja.
According to Onyeama, the ban was necessary due to the proliferation of criminal activities on the platform which continually threatened the unity of the country.
“The condition would be a responsible use of the social media and that really has to be it,” he said when asked when the ban would be lifted.
“We are not saying that Twitter is threatening the country or any such thing. Why we have taken this measure is to stop them to be used as platforms for destabilisation and facilitation of criminality or encouragement of criminalities.”
Onyeama further noted that the FG’s mandate is to ensure the stability of the country, despite room for diverse opinions and constructive criticisms.
READ ALSO: BREAKING…Nigerian govt summons envoys of US, UK, EU, Canada over comments related to Twitter ban
“Differences of opinion are not a problem; everybody will not think alike. But lives matter; Nigerian lives matter and we have to do everything we can to preserve Nigerian lives. And when we feel our goals are threatened, actions need to be taken.”
Ripples Nigeria had reported that the envoys, in a joint statement on Saturday, condemned the ban on Twitter by the Nigerian government.
They also decried the move by President Buhari’s administration to gag free speech which, according to them, was not associated with democratic governance.
The envoys noted that the ban was coming at a critical time when Nigeria needed to accommodate more communication to address a host of challenges facing it as a nation.
By Mayowa Oladeji
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