By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
President Muhammadu Buhari continued to receive bashing over the decision of the Federal Government to suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria indefinitely.
The government on Friday accused the organisation of “undermining Nigeria’s existence.”
Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, said in a statement that the government was forced to act because of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
But reacting on Friday night, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) said the decision was “yet another disguised attempt to regulate social media, restrict freedom of speech and shrink civic space.”
The umbrella body of Nigerian lawyers vowed legal action unless the decision was rescinded immediately.
In a series of tweets on Friday via his verified Twitter handle, @OlumideAkpata, NBA President, Olumide Akpata said: “The @NigBarAssoc has noted with great concern the extraordinary decision of the Federal Govt to suspend the operations of @Twitter in Nigeria and, by necessary implication, the right of Nigerians to freely express their constitutionally guaranteed opinions through that medium.
“The FGN also directed the @NgComCommission to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria, which is, at best, yet another disguised attempt to regulate social media, restrict freedom of speech and shrink civic space.
“Whether one likes it or not, we are operating a constitutional democracy, the primary consequence of which is that everything must be done according to law; government must be conducted within the framework of recognised rules and principles which restrict discretionary power.
“The @NigBarAssoc finds no constitutional or legal authority to support the peremptory action of the Federal Government to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria. Beyond the dent on our constitutional democracy, at a time when the Nigerian economy is unarguably struggling … the impact of arbitrary decisions such as this on investor confidence is better imagined. Consequently, if this decision is not immediately reversed, the @NigBarAssoc will have no choice but to challenge same in the interest of the public and for the sake of our democracy.”
