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Twitter Ban: ECOWAS Court Issues FG 30 Days Ultimatum

16Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Twitter Ban: ECOWAS Court Issues FG 30 Days Ultimatum

Following the ban of Twitter by the Federal government of Nigeria, the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has issued the government 30 days to file defence in a lawsuit instigated by a human rights lawyer, Ihensekhien Samuel, challenging the ban. Samuel had in a suit filed on behalf of the President of One Love Foundation, Patrick Eholor challenged the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for suspending the microblogging platform, Twitter, indefinity. The counsel had on June 8, 2021, sued FG before the ECOWAS court in Abuja demanding a declaration for the reversal of the suspension and the actions of the Nigerian government in arbitrarily enforcing the banning of Twitter usage. Read Also: Court Jails Lagos Senior Pastor Over N128million Fraud Consequently, the court in a no...

Democracy Day: Twitter CEO Tweets Nigerian Flag

12Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, News, Nigeria

Democracy Day: Twitter CEO Tweets Nigerian Flag

The Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has tweeted the Nigerian flag on Saturday as the country marked its 2021 Democracy Day. Dorsey’s tweet, which was posted hours before the ongoing nationwide protests in Nigeria, has excited several Nigerians, leading to thousands of retweets. Many tweeps including known faces such as @HenshawKate and @mrfestusogun have since hailed the co-founder of the micro-blogging platform for showing solidarity with Nigerian citizens amid the struggle for good governance, a better economy and an end to the security challenges plaguing over 200 million people living in Nigeria. Reacting, lawyer and activist, Ayo Sogunro, tweeted “In 2019, I mocked people who went to meet-and-greet Jack when he visited Nigeria. I’m like that: I hate the way w...

Donald Trump Commends Nigeria’s Twitter Ban, Encourages Other Countries to Emulate Same

9Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Donald Trump Commends Nigeria’s Twitter Ban, Encourages Other Countries to Emulate Same

Erstwhile President of the United States of America, Donald Trump has lauded Nigeria for banning Twitter, urging more countries to do the same. The Federal Government of Nigeria on Friday last week announced the Twitter ban after the app took down a controversial tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he referenced the Nigerian Civil War. Many Nigerians queried the rationale behind the post. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Trump lauded Nigeria for the ban. His statement read, “Congratulations to Nigeria for banning Twitter.” Trump said, “More COUNTRIES should ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech.” Trump added, “In the meantime, competitors will emerge and take hold. Who are they to dictate good and evil if they themselves are evil?” “Perhap...

We’re in Depressing Times, We Need Each Other to Get Through – Kate Henshaw

8Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Movies and Films, News, Nigeria

We’re in Depressing Times, We Need Each Other to Get Through – Kate Henshaw

Iconic Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, has asked Nigerians to be one another’s keeper in this time, which she describes as ‘depressing times’. Henshaw made the call in a tweet on Monday, noting that talking to someone might prevent individuals from breakdown. She wrote, “Talk to someone if you have to. Take a break. We are in depressing times. Make person head no go blow like gasket for engine. (sic) “We need each other at optimum to get through this. #KeepItOn.” The Nollywood veteran had earlier berated the government over the ban of Twitter in the country. In an earlier tweet, she wrote, “Majority are barely surviving, being killed with reckless abandon. Our children are kidnapped at will, but it’s Twitter that has helped expose these ills that is the problem?” Twitter...

FG Can Handle #Twitterban Better –Sanwo-Olu

7Jun

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Communication, Nigeria

FG Can Handle #Twitterban Better –Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says the Federal Government can handle the Twitter imbroglio better, adding that the government can sign ‘rules of engagement’ with the San Francisco-based social media giant on Twitter usage in Nigeria. He stated this on Monday while featuring on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ programme monitored by newsmen. According to him, “People are losing money but there are also security issues. Let us be circumspect and not throw the baby away with the bathwater.” Last week, the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), suspended Twitter operations in Nigeria, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”. The Federal Government’s action followed a del...

El-Rufai Boasts of Nigeria’s Twitter Ban in a Tweet

7Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

El-Rufai Boasts of Nigeria’s Twitter Ban in a Tweet

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has praised the country’s suspension of access to Twitter in a tweet posted on Sunday. The governor said that Nigeria has taught the United States lesson in how to deal with big tech tyranny. His tweet was in defilement of an order by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to prosecute any Nigerian caught using Twitter after its suspension. Malami in a statement gave orders to the director of public prosecution of the federation to “swing into action and commence in earnest the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government de-activation of operations of twitter in Nigeria.” The governor in his tweet at 9:37 pm, violated the suspension of Twitter by the Nigerian government. He tw...

6Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Why FG Suspended Twitter – Presidency

The Presidency has explained that the decision to ban Twitter access in Nigeria temporarily was not just informed by the recent deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet by the microblogging platform. Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed announced the suspension of Twitter on Friday in a statement issued by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi. Telecommunication companies in Nigeria on Saturday confirm receipt of an order restricting subscriber’s access to Twitter. Justifying the decision, a presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday said the decision was not based on just the removal of Buhari’s tweet. Shehu said the decision was a culmination of a myriad of problems with Twitter where he alleged misinformation and fake news spread through it ha...

MTN, Airtel, Glo, Others Implement FG’s Twitter Ban Order

5Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

MTN, Airtel, Glo, Others Implement FG’s Twitter Ban Order

Telecommunication companies in Nigeria among whom are MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile have commenced blocking user’s access to Twitter, African News Today has gathered. The telcos acknowledged receipt of a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to block access to Twitter in Nigeria following the suspension imposed on the microblogging platform by the Federal Government on Friday. Twitter users in Nigeria on Saturday reported difficulty in accessing their Twitter accounts while some successfully accessed theirs using Virtual Private Networks, VPN. In a statement released on Saturday, titled, ‘Order to Suspend access to Twitter’ mobile network operators in the country under the auspices of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, however...

Twitter Ban: Buhari Govt Has Very Thin Skin for Criticism – Ozekhome

5Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Twitter Ban: Buhari Govt Has Very Thin Skin for Criticism – Ozekhome

Human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has said he was not shocked by the decision of the Federal Government to suspend access to Twitter, saying the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has a penchant for not tolerating punches, but delights in always giving punches to adversaries, real or imaginary. The senior advocate also dared FG to go a step further and “dissolve the Nigerian people which it has become so allergic to and no longer wants to see or hear about”. He disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday titled, ‘When A Tottering Government Twiddles Twitter’. Ezekhome also accused the government of trying to shield its atrocities from global exposure with its decision to indefinitely ban the operations of Twitter in the country. Recall that the Minister of Info...

5Jun

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Communication, News, Nigeria, Press Statement, Youths

NCC Orders Telcos to Effect Twitter Ban

Telecoms operators said they have received instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to effect suspension of services of micro blogging platform Twitter. The carriers, acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said they have conducted assessment of the request according to international best practices. Its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, in a statement, said: “We, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) wish to confirm that our members have received formal instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator to suspend access to Twitter. “ALTON has conducted a robust assessment of the request in accordance with internationally accepted principles. “Ba...