Twitter ban: It is a bad decision by FG ---IMS
IMS Executive Director, Dr Akin Akingbulu in a statement on
Monday, said “IMS, has observed with great concern, the suspension imposed on
Twitter, the micro blogging and social networking platform. It is a bad
decision and the government should discontinue its present course of action.
“It is recalled that on June 4, 2021, the federal government announced an indefinite suspension of the operations of Twitter, citing alleged use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
“This was followed by government’s instruction to telecom
companies to deactivate twitter on their networks, which meant denial of
citizen’s access to the social media platform. On June 7, 2021, a similar
directive to broadcast media (radio and television stations) asked them to “de-install
twitter handles and desist from using twitter as a source (UGC) of information
gathering for news and programmes presentation especially phone-in”.
“The initial decision and the course of action pursued so
far by the government amount to a violation of the citizens’ freedom of
expression rights under national and international law.
“Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended)
guarantees freedom of expression as a fundamental right. It states that “Every person shall be
entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to
receive and impart ideas and information without interference.”
“The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ICCPR,
makes a similar provision in Article 19, saying that “Everyone shall have the
right to freedom of expression; that this right shall include freedom to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers,
either orally, in writing or print in the form of art or through any other
medium of his choice.”
“The decision to deny citizens access to a communication
platform in such an arbitrary manner runs in contravention of these instruments
and shows government’s disregard for its
commitment to the protection of citizens’ rights under local and international laws.
“When viewed in the context of previous failed attempts to
regulate social media platforms and the current extension of directives to
broadcast media houses to de-install twitter handles, a strong impression is
created that a script of a bigger agenda against freedom of expression
(including media freedom) is gradually unfolding. This is very unfortunate.
“The government’s action against Twitter is already taking
its toll on businesses across sectors of the economy. Large numbers of citizens and organisations
which use this social media platform are now effectively hindered from
conducting their lawful activities.
“Recovering from the devastating effects of COVID-19 has
been very difficult and slow for businesses in Nigeria. The present action of government could aggravate the
challenging conditions of
citizens, leading to massive loss
of means of livelihood and exacerbate the worsening security situation
in the country.
“The Federal Government should discontinue the present
course of action against Twitter and seek better ways of engaging communication
platforms,” the statement added.
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