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*President Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “direct the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to immediately reverse the apparently unjustified suspension of internet and telecommunication networks in Zamfara State, and 13 local government areas of Katsina State.” The NCC recently ordered telecom operators to suspend all telecommunications networks in Zamfara State, and at least 13 local government areas of Katsina State purportedly to check “banditry”/terrorism.  But SERAP in an open letter dated September 11, 2021, by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said: “The suspension of the internet and telecommunication networks in Zamfara and Katsina states, without any legal justification, is inconsistent with the principles of necessity and proportionality. The suspension is a form of collective punishment of Nigerians resid

(Nigeria) Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain and former Delta State gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has appealed to the Federal Government  to ban the ongoing reality TV  show, Big Brother Naija. He appealed to religious leaders, including Muslims and Christian clerics to add their voices to the call for ban of the programme on Nigeria televisions. Onuesoke said  allowing “immoral” show like the ‘Big Brother Naija’ to be broadcast in Nigeria could corrode the minds of the younger generation, especially teenagers. According to him:  “BBNaija is an exhibition of recklessness. We are encouraging it so badly that we allow it to be displayed openly on television. It is an invitation to chaos and exhibition of nudity. We now idolize idleness and immorality.  What do we gain from open vulgarity, open nudity, the spread of shamelessness? For me  BBNaija is “an abomination. “It  not a Talent Show because  it  does not promote real development in any sense of the word.

President Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari “to urgently redirect the proposed spending of N4.8billion of public money to monitor WhatsApp messages, phone calls, and text messages of Nigerians and other people, to pay some of the salaries of striking resident doctors, improve their benefits, as well as improve public healthcare facilities for the sake of poor Nigerians who rely on those facilities, and have nowhere else to turn.” SERAP said: “We also urge you to send to the National Assembly a fresh supplementary appropriation bill, which reflects the redirected budget, for its approval.” In the open letter dated August 14, 2021, by SERAP deputy,  director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Redirecting the proposed spending of N4.8billionn would be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office, and the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended], as

(Nigeria) The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, QC, has stated that the Commonwealth is “closely monitoring developments around suspension of Twitter, and allegations of repression of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, media freedom, as well as disregard for the rule of law in Nigeria.” Ms Scotland said: “All Commonwealth member countries, including Nigeria, have obligations and commitments to uphold freedom of expression as one of the core values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter. This underscores a commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights covenants and international instruments.” The statement by the Commonwealth followed an Urgent Appeal by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, urging Ms Scotland to “apply the Commonwealth Charter to hold the Nigerian government to account over the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, and the resulting repression of f

*Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN (Nigeria) The Nigerian judiciary must embrace technology and innovation, not only for the evolution of the profession and national development but also to ensure that the country’s justice delivery mechanism is run on a system of enforceable, discernible laws and efficient institutions, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. Osinbajo stated this in a pre-recorded speech on Monday as guest speaker at the 2021 Annual Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Lagos Branch, themed ‘Disruption, Innovation and The Bar’. Speaking on how the country’s justice delivery system can support critical investments in today’s very dynamic economy, the VP noted that “questions also need be asked about the readiness of our profession to engage in new markets as presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area. Already Nigerian Banks and financial services are crossing borders in Africa, acquiring banks in several African countries. So, the AfCTA w

*Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (Nigeria) Nigeria’s deployment of the state-of-the-art surveillance system, Falcon Eye for maritime security will save the country several billions of US dollars, while effectively degrading piracy and other crimes around the Gulf of Guinea and beyond, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, who represented the President today at the commissioning of the facility. The surveillance facility incorporates various sensors located along the nation's enormous coastline.  According to him, “it is estimated that Nigeria loses several billions of dollars annually to various forms of criminality particularly piracy and sea robbery.” Also, he added that on account of “the escalated risks in some of our maritime areas, insurance premiums for commercial vessels coming to these areas have risen sharply making maritime trade an unattractive proposition. “This underscores the need to enhance our maritime security architecture.  Consequently, a critical

(Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has asked the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia to “issue provisional measures to urgently stop the Nigerian government and National Assembly from supporting and pushing through two bills to gag the media, and impose arbitrary and harsh punishment on journalists, broadcast stations, media houses and media practitioners in Nigeria.” SERAP said: “the Complaint, addressed to the Chairperson of the Commission Mr Solomon Dersso, and Commissioner and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, Ms Jamesina King, is brought pursuant to Articles 55 and 56 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Rule 100 of the Rules of Procedure of the African Commission.” The Complaint followed the move to push through two repressive bills to amend the National Broadcasting Act, and to amend the Nigeria Press Council Act. The bills are reportedly sponso

(Nigeria) The ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja on Tuesday, “restrained the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and its agents from unlawfully imposing sanctions or doing anything whatsoever to harass, intimidate arrest or prosecute Twitter and/or any other social media service provider(s), media houses, radio and television broadcast stations, the Plaintiffs and other Nigerians who are Twitter users, pending the hearing and determination of this suit.” The ruling followed the suit against the Nigeria government by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP and 176 concerned Nigerians, arguing that “the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, criminalization of Nigerians and other people using Twitter have escalated repression of human rights and unlawfully restricted the rights of Nigerians and other people to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.” The court gave the order after hearing arguments from Solicitor to SERAP

(Nigeria) President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Federal Government's Team to engage with Twitter over the recent suspension of the operations of the microblogging and social networking service in Nigeria. The approval was announced in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who will chair the team. The statement by Special Assistant to the President (Media), Office of the Minister of Information and Culture Abuja, Segun Adeyemi, said: “The Federal Government's team also comprises the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Works and Housing, Minister of State for Labour and Employment as well as other relevant government agencies. “Following the indefinite suspension of its operations in Nigeria, for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence, Twitter

(Nigeria) Five non-governmental organiaations and four journalists have filed a suit against the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja asking it to declare the indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria a violation of their human rights under international law, order the Government to immediately rescind the suspension order, and compensate them for the violation of their rights. The NGO applicants in the suit are Media Rights Agenda, MRA, Paradigm Initiative, PIN, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, PTCIJ, the International Press Centre, IPC, and Tap Initiative for Citizens Development, TICD, while the journalists are MrDavid Hundeyin, Mr Samuel Ogundipe, Ms Blessing Oladunjoye, and Mr Nwakamri Apollo. The suit, with number ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21 ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21, in a 73-page documentation, filed on their behalf by Abuja-based human rights and free expression lawyer, Mrs Mojirayo Nkanga, under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Ri

(Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court in Abuja “to stop the Federal Government and the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Muhammed from using their patently unlawful directive to all TV and radio stations not to use Twitter, and to delete their accounts as a pretext to harass, intimidate, suspend or impose criminal punishment on journalists and broadcast stations simply for using social media platforms.” The suit followed the order by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) asking TV and radio stations to “suspend the patronage of Twitter immediately”, and telling them to delete ‘unpatriotic’ Twitter, after the social media giant was banned in the country for deleting President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/496/2021 filed last Friday, SERAP is seeking: “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the government of President Buhari, the NBC, and Mr Lai Muhammed and a

(Nigeria) Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Community Court of Justice, has fixed June 22, 2021, for a hearing on a motion in a suit challenging the Federal Government's suspension of the operations of the microblogging platform, Twitter, in Nigeria. The plaintiffs are the Registered Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP and 420 Nigerians, including former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili and the co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Aisha Yesufu. The court, in a notice to the plaintiffs' lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, and respondent’s counsel, Mrs Maimuna Shiru, stated that the hearing would be virtual. “Notice is hereby given that this application has been fixed for hearing of the Application for Interim Measure on June 22, 2021, at 10am in the forenoon and will be heard on that day if the business of the Court permits or otherwise on some adjourned day of which you may not receive further notice," the cou

Ecowas court (Nigeria) Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP and 176 concerned Nigerians have filed a lawsuit against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari over “the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, criminalization of Nigerians and other people using Twitter, and the escalating repression of human rights, particularly the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in the country.” Following the deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari's tweet, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed last week announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. The government has also threatened to arrest and prosecute anyone using Twitter in the country, while the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has asked all broadcast stations to suspend the patronage of Twitter. In the suit No ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21 filed Tuesday before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, SERAP and the concerned Nigerians are seeking: “An

(Nigeria) Online Publishers of Nigeria, OPAN,  has urged the Federal Government to immediately reverse the ban on Twitter operations in the country and stop infringing on the rights of citizens to freely express themselves. OPAN in a statement by its President, Austyn Ogannah and General-Secretary, Daniel Elombah, on Monday, said “The reasons adduced for the suspension or ban of Twitter have remained unconvincing because the federal government failed to exhaust other channels of communication with the social media giant. “The action of the Federal Government amounts to killing an ant with a sledge hammer, and has given Nigeria a very bad image in the eyes of the international community.” OPAN also decried the clandestine effort to gag social media voices in Nigeria and called on the Federal Government to “exercise restraints in dealing with issues that affect the youths, freedom of expression, media freedom, and those actions that could directly or indirectly widen the unemployme

(Nigeria) Institute for Media and Society, IMS, has expressed concern over the suspension imposed on Twitter, the micro blogging and social networking platform by the Nigerian government, saying that it was a bad decision and the government should discontinue its present course of action. 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.

(Nigeria) Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government not to harass foreign envoys and other members of the international community for speaking out against Nigerian’s suspension of the micro blogging site, Twitter by the Nigerian government. PDP’s Spokesman,   Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Monday, said the patty was alarmed by the development "which smacks of intolerance towards the international community as obtained in Idi Amin’s dictatorial Uganda of 1971 to 1979. "Our party notes that there is no law or statute that prohibits foreign envoys from speaking out against clear violation of internationally enshrined freedom of expression and right to social interactions as provided by Twitter and other social media platforms. "In fact, the defence of such rights is a fundamental duty which envoys owe their host nations and the international community. "The PDP, therefore, cautions that any harassm