The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project stated that it had already briefed human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), to proceed to court on Monday with lawsuits to challenge the government’s action.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oludare, on Saturday, told Sunday PUNCH that its legal team, led by Falana, as of Saturday, was preparing two lawsuits ahead of Monday.
According to him, the organisation plans to file one suit at the Economic Community of West African States Court of Justice and another at the Federal High Court upon the end of the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria.
Oludare said, “SERAP is going to court on Monday. Femi Falana (SAN) will handle the case for SERAP. At the moment, we are preparing two suits – one for ECOWAS Court of Justice and another for the Federal High Court; we are hoping that the JUSUN strike would have been called off. We will be in court on Monday. Falana will lead our team of lawyers.”
In a related development, the United States Mission Nigeria, in a statement on Saturday, described the ban as a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights and called for more communication rather than censorship.
The statement read, “Nigeria’s constitution provides for freedom of expression. The government’s recent #Twitterban undermines Nigerian’s ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses.
‘‘Banning social media and curbing every citizen’s ability to seek, receive, and impart information undermines fundamental freedoms. As (US) President (Joe) Biden has stated, our need for individual expression, open public conversation and accountability has never been greater.
“The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less communication, alongside concerted efforts toward unity, peace, and prosperity.”
Similarly, the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in its reaction expressed concern over the impact of the ban on the nation’s economy.
The Director General, LCCI, Dr Muda Yusuf, in a text to one of our correspondents, said, “The Twitter ban raises a major issue of proportionality. We should take account of the collateral effects on users of this digital platform.
“Twitter is a valuable platform for dissemination of information of business or commercial nature, among other uses. But it could also be used as a negative tool of information dissemination. This imposes a major responsibility of self-regulation by Twitter.
“I believe there are better ways of seeking redress than an outright ban or suspension. The suspension poses a negative perception risk for the government as citizens are denied access to use of a major digital information and communication platform.”
Presidency defends ban, labels IPOB ‘terrorist organisation’
Meanwhile, the Presidency in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Saturday, defended the decision of the Federal Government to suspend the operations of Twitter in the country, saying the decision was not just about Buhari’s deleted tweet.
It also described the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist organisation.
The statement read, “The temporary suspension of Twitter is not just a response to the removal of the President’s post. There has been a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences.
“All the while, the company has escaped accountability. Nevertheless, the removal of President Buhari’s tweet was disappointing. The censoring seemed based on a misunderstanding of the challenges Nigeria faces today.
“The President in his address at the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 said ‘the world was shocked and startled by the massacre in New Zealand by a lone gunman taking the lives of 50 worshippers.’
“This and similar crimes which have been fuelled by social media networks risk seeping into the fabric of an emerging digital culture.”
The Presidency argued that major technology companies must be alive to their responsibilities, saying they could not be allowed to continue to facilitate the spread of religious, racist, xenophobic and false messages capable of inciting whole communities against each other, leading to loss of many lives. He noted that such could tear some countries apart.
The statement added, “President Buhari has therefore been warning against social media’s disruptive and divisive influences and the government’s action is not a knee-jerk reaction to Twitter’s preposterous deletion of his tweet which should have been read in full. The tweet was not a threat, but a statement of fact. A terrorist organisation (IPOB) poses a significant threat to the safety and security of Nigerian citizens.”
In a related development, the United States Mission Nigeria, in a statement on Saturday, condemned the ban of Twitter in the country as a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights and called for more communication rather than censorship.
The statement read in part, “Nigeria’s constitution provides for freedom of expression. The government’s recent #Twitterban undermines Nigerian’s ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses.
“As (US) President (Joe) Biden has stated, our need for individual expression, open public conversation and accountability has never been greater.”
Also, the European Union delegation to Nigeria; and the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Ireland, Canada, and the United Kingdom joined the US to express disappointment over the ban on Twitter’s operations.
Their joint statement read, “The diplomatic missions of Canada, the European Union (Delegation to Nigeria), the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America convey our disappointment over the government of Nigeria’s announcement suspending #Twitter and proposing registration requirements for other social media.
“We strongly support the fundamental human right of free expression and access to information as a pillar of democracy in Nigeria as around the world and these rights apply online as well as offline.
“Banning systems of expression is not the answer. The measures inhibit access to information and commerce at precisely the moment when Nigeria needs to foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions as well as share vital information in this time of COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less, communication to accompany the concerted efforts of Nigeria’s citizens in fulsome dialogue toward unity, peace and Prosperity. As Nigeria’s partners, we stand ready to assist in achieving these goals.”
Twitter ban regressive, FG should dialogue –NPAN, NGE, NUJ
The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists on Saturday condemned the Federal Government’s action.
The bodies also urged the Federal Government to reverse its action. citing that Twitter as a platform for business had brought relief to Nigeria’s youthful population who had prospered by its operation.
NPAN, in a statement on Saturday, asked the Federal Government to reverse the order.
The statement titled, ‘Backtrack from Twitter ban,’ was signed by NPAN President, Kabiru Yusuf.
It read in part, “To the extent that Twitter may have been hasty in sanctioning President Buhari and shown an uneven application of its rules against separatist Nnamdi Kanu, its sincerity stands questioned. It should correct itself.
“However, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria thinks that the suspension of Twitter’s operations by Nigeria is wrong and an overreaction. The action will not win us friends as the closure of public space limits public discourse and democratic advancement. It is a futile exercise in any case, as other platforms are more likely to suspect Nigeria’s intentions towards democratic tenets and act adversarially towards Nigeria.”
NPAN noted that Twitter is a global platform for public communication that has expanded the frontiers of free speech and press freedom, as well as a platform for Nigerians to do business.
“NPAN believes Twitter as a business is not infallible and can be influenced, through high-level engagement, to be a more responsive, liberal platform of public good and not a cynical champion of suspicious causes.
“There should be a compromise: Nigeria needs friends and not enemies at this critical juncture of her existence. She should not play into the hands of the enemies who are relentless in seeking to destroy and ostracise her. Banning Twitter is regressive and should be rescinded in favour of dialogue,” the statement added.
Also, the Nigerian Guild of Editors called on the Federal Government to tread with caution and immediately reconsider its decision.
NGE also asked the government to seek other legitimate means of resolving its dispute with the social media firm.
The President of NGE, Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, made the suggestions in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.
The NGE said the Federal Government’s action had the “unintended” consequence of jeopardising the economic interests of many Nigerians who relied on the social media platform for vital information to make informed business decisions daily.
It said, “In addition, the suspension is a grave breach of Nigeria’s international obligations under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“The Guild sees the Federal Government’s action as an overreaction to Twitter’s decision to delete President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet early this week.
“If the Federal Government finds Twitter’s action against the President objectionable, Nigerians should not be made to suffer the collateral damage of denying them their rights to free discourse on Twitter.”
The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council, also described the order as undemocratic.
In a statement by the NUJ Lagos Council chairman, Adeleye Ajayi, and the secretary, Tunde Olalere, the union cited Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which states that every person shall be entitled to the freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and receive and impart ideas and information.
The NUJ said, “The NUJ Lagos Council was, therefore, baffled that the Federal Government could carry out the suspension without having a second thought of the grave implications of the anti-democratic action.
“It is advisable that the Federal Government should rescind its decision by considering the huge number of jobs sustained by Twitter in the country. Other amicable options should be explored by the Federal Government to resolve the misunderstanding with the management of the social media company.”
Smaller ISPs record partial compliance
Meanwhile, it was gathered on Saturday that mobile network operators complied fully with the Federal Government’s order.
Investigations showed that some internet service providers had yet to fully comply as of Saturday evening as some of their subscribers were still able to access the site.
A top source at the NCC said the ISP were not quickly informed of the suspension of Twitter, hence the delay.
He further stated that the smaller networks did not have the infrastructure to act immediately like MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9Mobile.
The NCC source said, “All the GSM networks have complied but the smaller networks haven’t complied fully. This is because they were not informed on time and they don’t have the infrastructure to take such actions immediately. But they have started complying partially, and by Sunday, we expect full compliance.”
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