Political Awareness Group, PAG has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government’s suspension of the popular micro-blogging platform, Twitter.
In a statement in Ibadan by the Chairman and Secretary of the group, Barrister Abdul-Waheed Olowonjaye and Mr Abass Agbara, the group rejected any attempt by Twitter to undermine Nigeria’s security and its sovereignty; physically or digitally.
PAG explains that the courageous statement made by the President on Twitter to warn terrorist organizations informing them of the readiness to handle them in proportion was deleted making the tech giant attempting to regulate or muffle the President on matters of such height of National Security.
“We reject any attempt to corner the President into silence on National Security matter which is his immediate responsibility”.
“We reject any attempt by Twitter and/ or any other organization for that matter to aid or abet terrorism or any subversive elements within or outside Nigeria to overtly or covertly compromise Nigeria National security”.
The group decried the roles Twitter played during the #EndSARS protest and the tactical support being given to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
“Most observers can recall that Twitter had offered heavy logistics to the #ENDSARS protest in the past.
It is also clearly discernible today that Twitter facilitated financial supports for the unprecedentedly daring, misguided, and glaring lawlessness that caused avoidable mayhem with its attendant cost fortune in human and material resources in the Country”.
“We recall too that the proscribed terrorist organization, IPOB has enjoyed tremendous support and projection from same Twitter for so long till date. It is unheard of, that the organization (a declared terrorist group maiming and killing innocent Nigerians) find so much support with Twitter that a region of the country is becoming ungovernable”.
PAG believed that the freedom of expression of the people had not been gauged since there are other platforms for people to voice out their minds.
“We affirm that the freedom of expression of the citizens is not, by the ban, breached as we have many other law abiding digital and electronics media that still abound and remain usefully intact in Nigeria”.
The group enjoined the Federal Government to extend regulation to other social media platforms while commensurate tax should also be worked out.
“We call on the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to also regulate all other social media outfits operating in the country as a matter of necessity”. “We also call on the Federal Government to seek enabling tax from all Social Media outfits as she does for conventional media houses”.
Ridwan Fasasi
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