Some Nigerians Blackmailing FG Over #TwitterBan, Keyamo Claims
- Some people are taking advantage of the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria according to Festus Keyamo
- The minister said these set of Nigerians are leveraging on the ban to blackmail the federal government
- Going further, Keyamo insisted the All Progressives Party-led federal government is not stifling free speech
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Some Nigerians have been blasted by the federal minister of state for Labour and Employment of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo, over the suspension of Twitter in the country.
According to the minister, some people are taking advantage of the ban to blackmail the federal government, Channels TV reports.
Source: Facebook
He disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, June 22.
Going further, he said the APC did not use the platform to promote content that was capable of “setting the country ablaze”.
He said:
“We are not talking about stifling free speech. People have been using this as a blackmail weapon that we rode to power using social media. That is blackmail because we need to set specific examples where we use social media to undermine the territorial integrity and peace and unity of Nigeria,”
ECOWAS court takes decision over Twitter ban in Nigeria
Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Court of Justice has reportedly served a hearing notice on the federal government in the suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 Nigerians over the suspension of Twitter.
The advocacy organisation stated that the court fixed June 22, 2021, for the hearing of the application for interim orders in the suit.
SERAP also reiterated its demand for President Buhari to reverse the suspension of Twitter.
In another report, Legit.ng reported that as the battle between Twitter and the federal government stretches, more allegations are being made against the social media giant's operations in Nigeria.
The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, during a briefing to members of the House of Representatives' joint committee on Tuesday, June 22, in Abuja claimed that the site gave the southeast secessionist group, IPOB, a platform for its violent campaigns, Channels TV reports.
Mohammed insisted that in light of this, the resolve of the government to suspend its operations is legal.
President Buhari Takes Decision on Twitter Suspension
President Buhari had approved the composition of the federal government's team to engage with Twitter over the suspension of the operations of the social networking service in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, June 22, by Segun Adeyemi, the special assistant to the president on media, office of the minister of information and culture.
Legit.ng gathered that the minister who would chair the team was given the charge by the presidency.
Source: Legit.ng
