Nigerian actor turned politician, Desmond Elliot, has reacted to the Federal Government’s decision to ban Twitter’s operations in Nigeria.
On Friday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the indefinite suspension in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Adeyemi.
The statement read in part; “The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
“The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
In a Twitter thread, Elliot who represents Surulere at the Lagos State House of Assembly called on the federal government to reverse the suspension stating that the ban, ‘no matter the reasons proffered tramples upon our fundamental rights as people.’
He said; “I want to admonish our government to always remember that the people’s right to express themselves freely must not be compromised. This ban, no matter the reasons proffered tramples upon our fundamental rights as people.”
Elliot reminded the government that Nigerian youths trade their wares and advertise their businesses and services via the micro-blogging site.
He added; “In a democratic society like ours, we must weigh the economic and social impact of this ban on the populace — especially our teeming youths and entrepreneurs who depend solely on this platform to carry out their legitimate business.
“In the past, our government have shown the required goodwill to stand on side of the people even when it’s not too convenient for them to do so. I believe that this won’t be an exception. I want to appeal to the government to reconsider this ban in the interest of our people and our country at large.”
