Some human rights and civil society groups will hold a press conference on Monday (today) to lament the 100th day of Twitter ban in Nigeria by the repressive President Muhammadu Buhari government.
The event, which is slated to hold at Civic Hive in Lagos, will feature representatives from the organisations speaking about the several actions they have taken against the Nigerian government.
They also intend to look at how the country has fared with the prohibition of Twitter ban and probable remedies.
The groups also said Nigeria has lost at least $360 million (approximately N148 billion) in the 100 days that Twitter has been banned.
The organisers of the event are Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Buhari’s government banned the use of microblogging site, Twitter in Nigeria on June 4, 2021, which attracted condemnations from inside and outside the country.
Some countries, groups and prominent individuals have described the ban as a gross violation of human rights.
And the country has been adversely affected as experts have noted that the impact of the Twitter ban can be felt in all aspects of socioeconomic growth.
According to the groups, the indefinite suspension of Twitter by the Nigerian Government has caused the country to lose about $360 million (N148 billion) in the past 100 days.
Immediately after the ban, some telecommunications blocked people’s access to Twitter which got Nigerians enraged, though many have bypassed it with the use of VPN.
During this period, Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Paradigm Initiative (PIN) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have filed a lawsuit against MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, asking the court to declare the blockage of Twitter access as unlawful, unconstitutional and against the rights to freedom of expression.
The Nigerian government through its Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said on August 11, that the suspension on Twitter would be lifted soon, but the endless wait continues.
The Minister also said the ban on Twitter was directed at some secessionist groups in the country for their anti-Nigeria tweets.
“The ban on Twitter will soon be lifted as we are getting close to reaching full agreement. We have agreed on some areas. Hopefully in the next few days or weeks we will conclude,” Mohammed said.
