After meeting diplomats, Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said the government would see how negotiations progressed before making any further decisions.

After meeting diplomats, Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said the government would see how negotiations progressed before making any further decisions.

 

Twitter Ban mutes Nigerian Government while citizens have their way

Nigerian citizens have found ways to express themselves through Twitter platform despite the ban by the Nigeria government while the government and its agencies are boxed into a corner of their decisions.

BBC Newsday spoke to Gbenga Sesan of the Paradigm Initiative, which offers digital opportunities to young people across Africa, who says the government’s ban had backfired:

“Guess what? The only people who have been muted right now appear to be the government themselves. Yes, some businesses are not tweeting because clearly they do not want to be punished, but the citizens they were trying to proscribe are still tweeting.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister has said the government is in talks with the tech giant.

After meeting diplomats, Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said the government would see how negotiations progressed before making any further decisions.

In their latest move against Twitter, the authorities have ordered broadcasters to deactivate their accounts.

Western diplomats have criticised the suspension, saying free speech is a key part of democracy.

The Nigerian government has denied it ordered the shutdown after Twitter removed a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari threatening a secessionist group.

 

Editorial Chief, Nigerian Bureau

Kings UBA is a Nigerian journalist and writer. I have reported for major local and international news organisations. I write satire. In 2017, I started contributing stories primarily to Discover Africa News Network. I can be reached on editorkingsuba@gmail.com. I currently manage Discover Africa News social media handles