US, EU condemn Nigeria's Twitter ban
Jun 06, 2021
Brussels [Belgium], June 6 : The US and the European Union (EU) have raised concern over Nigeria's announcement suspending Twitter and proposing registration requirements for other social media.
This indefinite suspension came on Saturday after the social network deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.
"We strongly support the fundamental human right of free expression and access to information as a pillar of democracy in Nigeria as around the world and these rights apply online as well as offline. Banning systems of expression is not the answer," the diplomatic missions of the EU, US, Britain, Canada, and Ireland said in a joint statement issued on Saturday.
"These measures inhibit access to information and commerce at precisely the moment when Nigeria needs to foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions, as well as share vital information in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement read.
On Wednesday, the microblogging site deleted a tweet by the President which Nigerians had criticised as a declaration of war.
In the deleted tweet, Buhari had made a reference to the country's 30-month civil war in 1967-1970, warning "those who wanted the government to fail" to desist from fomenting trouble.
"Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigeria civil war. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand," the president had tweeted on Tuesday night.
Later on Saturday, the Nigerian President had expressed disappointment regarding the recent removal of his post by Twitter, saying that the company's censorship policy failed to understand the acute issues the country has to deal with.
