Despite Twitter Ban In Nigeria, 5 Governors Remain Active

Despite the Nigerian government’s threat to punish Nigerians who continue to publish or use the microblogging and social media network Twitter, many prominent Nigerians have continued to resist the ban.

The government of President Muhammadu Buhari declared last Friday that Twitter’s operations in Nigeria would be suspended indefinitely due to “the ongoing use of the platform for activities that are capable of damaging Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The suspension occurred just days after Buhari’s contentious remark about the 1967 civil war was removed from Twitter.

The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, ordered the prosecution of violators of the government’s Twitter suspension on Saturday, amid public uproar and condemnation.

Nigerians soon turned to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to gain access to the site, defying police attempts to apprehend and prosecute them.

Nigeria has been popular in various regions of the world because to VPN, a major gateway for digital anonymity.

It was discovered that issues concerning Nigeria’s Twitter ban have been popular in free VPN sites, particularly in the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, and Ireland.

In the Netherlands, America, Canada, and other countries, the terms “Nigeria,” “TB Joshua,” “June 12 protest,” “Buhari,” “werey,” “Oyo,” and “Igbo” were trending just two days ago.

Interestingly, some governors have been accessing Twitter over VPN. Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State are among those who have yet to comply with Buhari’s instruction.

Although those Governors who were active prior to the suspension have followed the directive, the accounts of others who use the platform infrequently have remained dormant as normal.

Governor Makinde had indicated that many people would lose their jobs if the government did not reverse its decision.

He advised Buhari not to stifle the activities of tens of thousands of enterprises and services, claiming that the ban might undermine investors’ faith in the government.

He did, however, urge the government to take into account the consequences of its actions.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, in a tweet via his Twitter handle, condemned the restriction, saying it was unconstitutional.

It is also an ill-advised attempt, according to him, to deflect Nigerians’ attention away from the government’s failure to address insecurity in some regions of the country.

He claimed that the prohibition amounted to the repression of basic human rights and the censorship of social media.

El-Rufai, a key member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, also tweeted against the Federal Government’s injunction.

“Based Nigeria: African country provides US lesson in how to handle Big Tech dictatorship – RT Op-ed,” El-Rufai said on the banned social media website, implying support for the Federal Government.