Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The United States (US), the European Union (EU) the United Kingdom (UK) Canada, Norway, and the Republic of Ireland, on Monday, maintain their position that the ban on Twitter by the Nigerian government violates freedom of expression of Nigerians, irrespective of the concerns by the government that the platform was being used to perpetrate hate speech and criminality.
The ambassadors of these countries were invited by the Minister
of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, to explain the
reason behind such criticism.
The six countries in a joint statement issued on Saturday said, “the diplomatic missions of Canada, the
European Union (Delegation to Nigeria), the Republic of Ireland, the United
Kingdom and the United States of America convey our disappointment over the
Government of Nigeria’s announcement suspending #Twitter and proposing
registration requirements for other social media.
“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 statement
said further that “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”.
Speaking on behalf of the six envoys of
the countries and their representatives on Monday, after a closed-door meeting
Onyeama, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, told the Foreign Minister
that access to social media by citizens is germane to freedom
of speech which in turn is a prerequisite for democratic culture.
“We recognize the official position of the Nigerian government on the responsible use of social media but we remain firm
in our position that free access to information is very important and perhaps
more important during troubled times.”
She said further
that it is actually in troubled times that there is the need for individual
expression and open conversation and accountability.
“We are here as
partners and we want to see Nigeria succeed. It’s very clear that we are
Nigeria’s strongest partners on issues of security and we recognize the
daunting times in the way of the security challenges that confront Nigeria.
While they are daunting, they are not insurmountable and part of the way to
surmount them is the partnership of the people you see represented here,” she
said.
Leonard is optimistic about the Federal
government reaching a common ground as the Nigerian Government is locked in
discussions with Twitter Inc.
Onyeama
confirmed that the Nigerian government was in dialogue with Twitter on the best
ways to resolve the matter and perhaps lift the ban.
The Minister had
earlier told the envoys that the Nigerian government is not against the use of
social media but want to see it used for global good and
responsible communications.
He said “we know
the power of words and when you have that kind of power to
manage and facilitate communication to billion of people; it has to come with
responsibility. So, we are taking this measure to see to what extent
we can rebalance this media as forces of good and stop them from being used as a
platform for destabilization and facilitation of criminality.”
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