The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has berated the federal government for banning Twitter operations in Nigeria, while threatening to challenge the government in the court of law, failure to reverse the ban.
This was conveyed in a statement by the president of NBA, Olumide Apata, shortly after the announcement was made by the Minister of Information, on Friday.
He said declaring Twitter ban in Nigeria, violates the rights of Nigerians, to freely express themselves, and vowed to sue the decision in court, if the suspension would not be revoked.
The statement partly reads:
“The Nigerian Bar Association has noted with great concern, the extraordinary decision of the federal government of Nigeria, to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria. By necessary implications, it undermines the right of Nigerians to express their constitutionally guaranteed opinions through that medium.
“The federal government also directed the Nigerian Communications Commission, 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, shrink civic space.
“Whether one likes it or not, we are operating a constitutional democracy. The primary consequence of which is that, every thing must be done according to law, and government must be conducted within, the framework of recognized rules and principles, which restrict discretionary power.
“Consequently, if this decision is not immediately reversed, the Nigeria Bar Association, have no choice but to challenge same in the interest of the public, and our democracy.”
Ijeoma Njoku reporting, Obinwannem News | June 5, 2021
