Entertainers React as FG suspends Twitter Operations in Nigeria
A social media war may have been ignited by the Federal Government, which it may not be able to prosecute or win. Entertainers like Banky W, Erigga, Toolz, Praiz and the public at large have negatively reacted to the Federal Government ban on Twitter.
President Buhari had earlier dropped a civil war controversial message on Twitter, which the platform found offensive and placed a ban on the tweet. After which, Facebook joined in banning the same message on its platform, saying that it violates its standards and capable of inciting violence.
In reaction to this, a statement was released via the official Twitter handle of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announcing the suspension of Twitter Operations in Nigeria. It reads thus;
“The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria”.
This pronouncement has drawn widespread disagreements from the public among which are entertainers like Banky W, Toolz, Praiz, and Erigga. Toolz and Praise expressed amusement that Government that the government announced the ban of the platform through the same platform, how ironic.
Sharing their sentiments, Praiz tweeted, “Announcing the suspension of Twitter Operations in Nigeria has to be the craziest thing I’ve seen in a while”.
Banky W on the other hand, tackled the Federal government, announcing that the masses should stop voting for politicians above 65 years. In a series of Tweets, Banky said the government cannot stop kidnapping and other vices plaguing the country but they can freely place a ban on Twitter.
Banky Tweeted, “Nigerian Government bans Twitter, and announce the ban ON Twitter. You can’t make this up. Clueless.
They can’t stop kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism… the country is as unsafe as ever… yet they can seize passports and block bank accounts of peaceful protesters. They ban cryptocurrency. They ban Twitter. Completely out of touch with the plight of young people.
The retirement age in Nigeria is 65. What if we decide not to vote for anyone over the age of 65? Regardless of party. If you’ll be over 65 at the time of elections, we won’t vote for you. It’ll at least eliminate an entire group that has had enough opportunities to fix this mess”.
