The Joint Minority Caucus of the Senate and the House of Representatives Wednesday dismissed threat by the Federal government to arrest and prosecute Nigerians using twitter, calling on Nigerians to go ahead and continue to use their twitter as they would not be contravening any law in Nigeria or any international statute.
The caucus in a statement jointly signed by its leaders, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Hon. Ndudi Elumelu said they met over the ban on Twitter by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government and restated itheir condemnation of the embargo as draconian and unacceptable.
The caucus cited the provisions of articles 19 and 20 of the United Nations Charter on Fundamental Human Rights, which Nigeria is a signatory to, as well as provisions of Sections 39 and 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), noting that by these provisions no one will be violating any law for using twitter in Nigeria.
The lawmakers said they were pained by the anguish Nigerians, especially the youths, who find the use of twitter as a means of livelihood and genuine social interaction, were passing through.
The Caucus while berating the federal government for abandoning its duty of addressing the serious economic and security problems confronting the nation, opined that the ban on Twitter appears to be in favour of criminal and terrorist elements, whose activities fester in an environment of suppressed information flow.
The caucus thereby advised the government to accept its misdoing and go and settle whatever issue it has with the micro blogging platform, instead of this resort to inflicting pains on Nigerians.
The statement reads, ”It is agonizing that Nigeria and Nigerians have been losing billions of naira on daily basis since the ban on twitter. This is completely unacceptable as it is worsening the already biting economic hardship and frightening unemployment level in the country. The Joint Minority Caucus sympathizes with the organized private sector, manufacturing and service providing companies, small and medium enterprises, online businesses owners and other hardworking entrepreneurs across the country, whose genuine business and means of livelihood have been crippled by the unwarranted ban on Twitter by the APC federal government.
”It also identifies with our students, research-based organization, media houses, the organized civil society, faith-based organizations, community groups among others, whose information-based activities have been violently disrupted by the ban. In the same vein, the Joint Caucus sympathizes with regional, states, local government as well as members of the international community, whose genuine and constructive activities have been crippled by the prohibition of twitter in Nigeria.”
