Image Credits: Canva
Two days after Twitter deleted a tweet put out by the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian government has suspended the use of Twitter in the country indefinitely. The ministry gave no details regarding the suspension and for how long it might last.
The information ministry of Nigeria mentioned that Twitter had done so because of “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
The tweet President Buhari released was suspected to be in violation of Twitter regulations, in which he referred to the civil war in the country with respect to the unrest in the southeast. This is the reason for Twitter deleting it.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed pointed fingers at Twitter for ignoring violent messages from Muhammadu Buhari and reached out to the CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, for support regarding the EndSARS protest, which took place last year in Nigeria fronting police brutality.
While the decision of suspending twitter has not been working well with the people, Amnesty International has asked Nigeria to promptly undo the “unlawful suspension.”
Other countries such as Turkey and China have been besmirched for putting restrictions as Nigeria has on the social media platforms and Nigeria is suspected to do through the wringer on this too.
The concerns about freedom of expression in the country have risen after the suspension of the platform. Nigeria is now under question for its discernment in such situations.