Author: Chief Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has threatened to drag the federal government to court over the recent ban on Twitter operations in the country. It described the decision as an act of desperation of a non-performing and failed government to intimidate and cow the citizens to consolidate its hold on power by brute force. The Leader of the caucus, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, in a statement issued on Sunday, said Twitter has become an integral component of the citizens’ ability to keep the government in check and to provide real-time feedback on the impact of…

Nigerian filmmaker turned politician, Desmond Elliot, has learnt his voice against the Federal Government’s decision to ban Twitter operations in Nigeria.  On Friday the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, via a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Adeyemi, announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria. The statement read, “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…

The management of Twitter has reacted to the ban on its operations by the Nigerian government, assuring Nigerian users that it will work to restore access. In a statement on its Public Policy handle, the social media platform said: “We are deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria. Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society.” The microblogging site said, “We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world. #KeepitOn,” The Federal Government had Friday suspended, indefinitely, the operations…

Nigeria’s attorney general Abubakar Malami Saturday said the country will prosecute those who flout the government order to deactivate operations of twitter in the West African nation. The ban came into effect on Saturday with millions of users blocked from accessing the site. Many young Nigerians are, however, circumventing the ban by using virtual private networks (VPN). Malami’s statement was, however, silent on who will be prosecuted: the ISP who did not block Twitter access fast enough or those who still use the site despite the ban. “Malami directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) at the…

Telecommunication operators, Saturday, received a directive from the telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to suspend access to Twitter accounts in Nigeria. The order was sequel to the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria by the federal government. The Federal Government had Friday suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service site in Nigeria, citing the persistent use of the Twitter platform for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. Twitter ban was announced by the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, two days after Twitter deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet posted Tuesday wherein he threatened…

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has condemned the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria by the Federal Government, saying that it is a clear violation of freedom of speech and other democratic rights and tenets as provided by the 1999 constitution. The Federal Government had on Friday, in response to Twitter’s deletion of a “civil war” post by President Muhammadu Buhari, announced the suspension of the operations of the micro-blogging platform in the country. The caucus in a statement by its leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu described the suspension as provocative, obnoxious and unjustifiable. The lawmakers opined that the…

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has urged the federal government to tread with caution and immediately rescind the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria and seek other legitimate means of resolving its dispute with the company. The Federal Government had Friday suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service site in Nigeria, citing the persistent use of the Twitter platform for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. In a statement jointly signed by its President, Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, the NGE said that the federal government’s action had the unintended…

Chelsea rewarded Thomas Tuchel for winning the Champions League in his first five months in charge with a new contract to 2024 on Friday. The German joined in January with the Blues languishing in ninth in the Premier League. But Chelsea were revitalised by Tuchel’s arrival, climbing the table to finish fourth before winning European club football’s biggest prize against Manchester City in Porto last weekend. “I cannot imagine a better occasion for a contract renewal. I am grateful for the experience and very happy to stay part of the Chelsea family,” said Tuchel. “There is far more to come…

The Nigerian government on Friday suspended Twitter operations in the country indefinitely. Nigeria’s information and culture minister Lai Mohammed announced Twitter’s suspension in a statement by his media aide Segun Adeyemi. The statement announcing Twitter’s ban was announced on Twitter via Nigeria’s ministry of information and culture Twitter handle. “The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria,” Mohammed said. The Nigerian government’s spokesman cited “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” as the reason for the suspension. Mohammed said the “Federal…

Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, yesterday visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, with an allegation that external bodies are fanning the embers of disunity in Nigeria “in order to sell their arms and ammunition in the event of crisis.” Ayade, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) about a fortnight ago, told journalists after his meeting with the president that Nigeria’s foreign enemies are precipitating the current crisis, including secessionist propagations in some parts of the country, so as to have it balkanised for the purpose of selling their…