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Four major western nations and the European Union (EU) on Saturday condemned the Nigerian government’s suspension of Twitter’s operations and the country’s plan to impose registration requirements on other social media platforms in Nigeria.
The EU and the four countries – the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, and the Republic of Ireland – issued a joint statement through their diplomatic missions in Nigeria expressing their disappointment over the Nigerian government’s action late Saturday.
The joint statement added to the growing condemnation which the ban on Twitter and move to impose licensing requirements on other social media in Nigeria has received since it was announced by Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, on Friday.
In the joint statement shared via their separate Twitter handles on Saturday, the diplomatic missions expressed their support for human rights of free expression and access to information as a pillar of democracy.
According to them, the rights applied both online and offline. They added that banning the “systems” that promote such rights would only “inhibit” access to information and commerce at a time Nigeria needed to “foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions” and share vital information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The diplomatic missions of Canada, the European Union, the Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States of America, convey our disappointment over the government of Nigeria’s announcement suspending #Twitter and proposing registration requirement for other social media.
“We strongly support the fundamental human rights 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.
“These 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 info in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement read. *PremiumTimes
