At a meeting summoned Monday by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, foreign envoys maintained their position that the ban on Twitter in the country violates the citizens’ rights.
Geffrey Onyeama, the Minister met with ambassadors from Canada, the European Union (Delegation to Nigeria), the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America in Abuja for a parley on the collective position on Nigeria’s ban on the activities of Twitter in the country.
Mary Beth Leonard, American ambassador who spoke on behalf of the others maintained the earlier position of the five envoys that the ban on Twitter was a violation of the freedom of expression of Nigerians irrespective of the concerns by the government that the platform was being used to perpetuate hate speech and criminality.
“We recognise 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.
“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,” she said.
“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 recognise 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,” Leonard added.
The meeting was sequel to a position of the five ambassadors which was contained in a statement they released on Saturday, a day after the ban was announced.
“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. 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,” they said.
The envoys showed optimism about the Federal government reaching an amicable solution to the disagreement with Twitter.
On his part, Onyeama also confirmed that the Nigerian government was in dialogue with Twitter on the best ways to settle the conflict
Onyeama informed the ambassadors that the Nigerian government is not against the use of social media, wants it to be used only for global good and responsible communications.
“We know the power of words and when you have that kind of power to manage and facilitate communication to billions 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 being used as a platform for destabilization and facilitation of criminality.”
In a follow-up statement, the ministry clarified that the Onyeama did not state a condition under which the government would lift the ban on Twitter.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Ferdinand Nwonye.
