The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Enoch Adejare Adeboye has described federal government’s ban of Twitter as violation of human rights of Nigerians.
The cleric said this on the heels of meeting held by Foreign Affairs Minister, Onyema with ambassadors from UK, EU, US and UN on Monday.
The minister said after the meeting that the ban could be lifted if the blogging site abide with extant rules, noting that the federal government is taking the missions’ concerns “very seriously”.
Onyema said” We are not saying that Twitter is threatening the country or any such thing; why we have taken this measure is to stop them to be used as platforms for destabilisation and facilitation of criminality or encouragement of criminalities.”
The diplomatic missions had, in a joint statement on Sunday called on the Buhari administration to rescind the decision.
The magazine learnt that the reactions did not go down well with the administration which has faced both local and international backlash over the ban.
Adeboye expressed his feelings on Monday in a tweet he shared on the microblogging platform. The federal government ban took effect on Saturday night.
He said tweeting is in accordance with Article 19 of the UN universal declaration of human rights.
According to him ” the Redeemed Christian Church of God is domiciled in more than 170 Nations & Territories. The tweets here are in accordance to Article 19 of the UN universal declaration of Human Rights,” the cleric tweeted.
The federal government had on Friday announced the “indefinite” suspension of Twitter owing to “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
The development led to the blocking of access to the micro-blogging platform by MTN, Globacom, Airtel, 9mobile, and other networks.
Please research this: On June 2, 2013, General Muhammadu Buhari responded to the military offensive launched by the Jonathan administration to deal a mortal blow to Boko Haram by granting a press conference in which he described that military offensive against Boko Haram as being against the interest of Northern Nigeria.
The next day, the headlines read ‘The military offensive against Boko Haram is anti-North’- Buhari. And Buhari’s statements not only divided the Armed Forces, they also ended up providing aid and comfort to the enemy (Boko Haram).
Now, consider that exactly eight years later (June 2, 2021), the same Muhammadu Buhari is now an elected President, and he is threatening the Southeast of Nigeria with Civil War 2.0.
It is almost spiritual considering the date and timing. In Scripture, the number eight is figurative of renewal and rebirth. Now, in this case, we see a renewal and rebirth of the hatred, bigotry and ethnic chauvinism that led to the first Nigerian Civil War. And we pray that there shall be no rebirth of that unfortunate time.
How could Buhari have been against a Military offensive against Boko Haram, yet want one against the Southeast?
It is either this is not the same Buhari as the one in 2013, or it is the same Buhari, but he has lost his memory. Which is it?
And it is not just that. There are more inconsistencies that show that we must reassess the state of mind of Buhari.
Consider, for example, that a month ago, Muhammadu Buhari was “appealing” to herdsmen and bandits to stop their acts of terror. And then a month later, another Buhari is threatening the Southeast with Nigerian Civil War 2.0.
How can one man have such a different reaction to similar events? Is this a case of Multiple Personality Disorder? Are we dealing with a Jekyll and Hyde schizophrenic personality? Is Buhari bipolar? What is happening here?
And there are more troubling signs that point to cognitive dissonance on the part of Muhammadu Buhari. Consider the following:
Bandits abduct 330 schoolchildren, then abduct 200 Islamic school pupils. Buhari did not threaten war.
Boko Haram wipes out 1000 soldiers, kills many United Nations medical staff, and occupies huge swathes of Nigerian territory. Buhari did not threaten war.
Herdsmen kill over 5000 Nigerians, and cause even more to become refugees in our neighbouring Benin Republic. Buhari did not threaten war.
Miyetti Allah says that ‘Nigeria belongs to the Fulani’ and asks their members to ignore lawful and constitutional laws from governments in the South and Middle Belt of Nigerian. Buhari did not threaten war.
347 Shiite men, women, children and infants killed in Zaria. Buhari did not threaten war.
Yet! Buhari brings up the Nigerian Civil War to intimidate the Southeast because of the recent insecurity in that region that is nothing compared to what is happening in the North? Again, I urge my readers to research this: No nation fights two civil wars and remains as one nation.
I really do not get Buhari. Not at all. Not at all. He wants to fight unknown gunmen, yet he does not fight the gunmen that are known? Soldiers escorted Gumi to have meetings with bandits. Soldiers escorted Katsina state Governor, Bello Masari, to have negotiations with bandits. If Buhari wants to fight war, let him start with the gunmen that are known!
Why is the Southeast’s case different and deserving of war? I am not understanding!
The statement by the President in which he threatened to “treat them (Igbo of the Southeast) in the language they understand”, is very demonstrative of the mindset of this administration and nobody should be left in any doubt that Nigeria is now in the hands of a warmonger.
The greatest threats to One Nigeria are not Sunday Igboho or Nnamdi Kanu. Both of these men are just symptoms of the disease. The disease is Muhammadu Buhari. If appointments were balanced. If development were even. If herdsmen and bandits that kill us were punished. If Buhari had not said, “those who gave us 5% cannot be treated like those who gave us 97%”, who would talk of Oodua and Biafra?
Buhari has severely diminished the appetite for One Nigeria amongst Southerners. People like me, who still preach unity, are now seen as fools.
We have three arms of government. All headed by Northern Muslim Males. We have 18 military, paramilitary and law enforcement bodies. 15 are headed by Northern Muslim Males. That is not unity. That is dominance. And I will not be dominated. That is the reason for Nigeria’s disunity. Not Sunday Igboho, or Nnamdi Kanu.
I was watching a session at the Nigerian Senate where Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa threatened the Southeast with war. This same Bulkachuwa is from Bauchi, a state whose government recently sounded the alarm that Boko Haram had infiltrated their state. Has Bulkachuwa won that war before he wants to fight the Southeast?
President Buhari and Senator Bulkachuwa’s All Progressives Congress’ Government, through another APC Senator, Ibrahim Geidam, once proposed foreign scholarship for Boko Haram members and only backed down when the heat was too much.
My question is this: Is foreign scholarship the language Boko Haram understands, while war and violence is the language the Southeast understands?
Look, the earlier we face it, the better: Buhari is not fit to be Nigeria’s leader. He is a Northern irredentist. Even in the North, his loyalty is to his tribe, to the exclusion of other Northern ethnicities. Look at his threat of war against the SE. I am ashamed of Nigeria’s current leadership
And then look at this government saying Twitter’s mission in Nigeria is “suspect”. What nonsense! Twitter’s mission to Nigeria was never suspect when Buhari and his goons, under the control of Nasir El-Rufai, were using Twitter to spread lies against then President Goodluck Jonathan and his government.
These guys have not received up to half of what they unleashed on Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and they are now threatening Civil War 2.0. Their chickens have come home to roost. Their children of hate have matured into angry demons, and turned on them, now they want to blame Twitter because blaming is all they know how to do.
You can imagine Buhari threatening Civil War 2 on the Southeast? Take a look at the casualty figures from the war on Boko Haram. It is full of Igbo officers and men. The Igbo are fighting ISWAP in the North and you have the guts to sit in an air-conditioned office in Abuja to threaten their heartland with war? Then you expect these same soldiers of Southeast origin to keep giving you their all and dying to fight Boko Haram?
And to those who think it was only the Igbo peoples of the Southeast that were affected by Muhammadu Buhari’s Civil War 2.0 threat, I hate to burst your bubble.
Foreign Direct Investors heard that threat. International aid organisations heard that threat. International finance corporations heard the threat. At this very moment, they are all being advised by their government to leave Nigeria.
Finance and investments that were on their way to Nigeria are now making a U-turn. Because money is a coward. It runs from where there are threats of war to where there are promises of stability.
As a result of these factors listed above, the economy will shrink. Again. The Naira will be devalued. Unemployment will rise, and the resultant joblessness will lead to a steep rise in the insecurity and crime epidemic facing the nation.
It is beyond the Igbo. It is beyond the Southeast. It will have Naira and Kobo ramifications for all Nigerians. As long as Buhari continues in that office, the problem will not go away. Chances are that it will become worse. Much worse. Much, much worse!
Omokri, a Commentator on National Issues, was an Aide to Former President Goodluck Jonathan
No fewer than 105 members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) have resigned from the service of Ondo State Government in the last one year.
The Association, in a press statement signed by the NMA State Chairman, Dr. Stella Adegbehingbe and State Secretary, Dr. Olorunfemi Owa, on Monday, blamed the trend on irregular and percentage payment of salaries by the state government.
According to the statement “some departments in the State-owned Teaching Hospital, which could hitherto boast of between six and eight Doctors, are now left with one or two Doctors.
“This makes it practically impossible for the hospital to function at a minimum acceptable level.
“Consequential vacancies in the medical officer cadre need to be urgently filled. About 50 medical Doctors in this cadre have left the employment of the Hospital Management Board without replacement over the last few months.
“Yawning vacancies exist in the Resident Doctor and Consultant cadres at the Teaching Hospital. These have remained difficult to fill due to the haphazard safety payments.
“We have it on good records that about 105 medical doctors have resigned their employment from the Teaching Hospital in the last year alone.
“Ondo State has not been able to engage requisite numbers of House officers since 2019. This has made our work almost impossible because this group of Doctors have a peculiar role in Health service delivery.
“It is troubling to note that only three House Officers are left in the service of the Ondo State Government across the three senatorial zones.
“There is no gainsaying that the ongoing laudable efforts at having a Contributory Health Insurance Scheme in the state can only be successful if the urgent issue of manpower need is adequately addressed,” the NMA said.
The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has, on the order of the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, directed all Broadcast stations in the country to close their Twitter account following the ban on the social media outlet.
Ekanem Antie, NBC Director of Public Affairs, released the statement on behalf of Armstrong Idachaba, the Director General of NBC. The statement was made available newsmen in Abuja Monday.
Idachaba said all Broadcast stations should “desist from using twitter as a source (UGC) of Information gathering for news and programs’ presentation, especially, phone in.”
The Nigerian Government had banned Twitter in Nigeria, accusing it of condoning hateful attacks on the Government, but deliberately taking down President Muhammadu Buhari’s Post.
Also unconfirmed reports indicate that Government has gone far in negotiations with the Chinese Government to help them in checking the continued use of Twitter via VPN.
But since the ban, Human Rights Organisations and the International Community had condemned the act as assault on free speech. Though the platform was suspended, most tweeting Nigerians, including Media Houses, have continued to tweet, bypassing the ban using VPN, an app that allows tweeters to hide their true location on the internet.
Governors of the six south west states in the country have condemned the weekend killings, by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Igangan, Oyo state as a dastardly act.
According to the residents, houses and farmlands were burnt by the rampaging herdsmen, who they said attacked the town with more than 20 motorcycles and deadly weapons.
Taiwo Adeagbo, an official of Igangan Farmers’ Union, said the gunmen arrived around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday.
He said “Aside from killing our people, the Fulani herdsmen also set a petrol station ablaze and cars ablaze. They have also burnt the palace in Igangan.”
The Governor of the state, Seyi Makinde has called for calm.
Makinde, who spoke on Sunday said he is currently being briefed on the Saturday’s night attack, said he received the shocking news of the attacks on residents of the community in the early hours of Sunday.
“I urge residents to remain calm as security operatives are now in control of the situation,” the governor said.
At least 15 people were reported killed in the incident by gunmen who were said to be on a mission to avenge the deaths of their kinsmen during a clash with indigents, led by Sunday Adeyemo, popular as Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba youth activist in January this year.
The clash led to the eviction of the Fulani leader in the town Alhaji Salihu Abdulkadir , while his multi-million properties were also touched by the angry protesters who claimed that the fleeing Fulani herdsmen were responsible for the spate of kidnapping and rape in the sleepy town.
Abdulkadir has claimed that he lost over N500 million to the attack, apart from his children and family members who were killed.
Some of the resident said after the attack on Sunday that Fulani herdsmen who are angry that they have been evicted from Igangan carried out the attacks.
But while speaking on the issue, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state, who spoke unbehalf of his colleagues said everything will be done to bring attackers to book, adding that Amotekun, a regional security body set up by the governors in the region have been directed to secure the zone.
Akeredolu said “We have just received with rude shock a premeditated attack on our people at Igangan, Ibarapa, Oyo State, in the early hours of today. This cowardly onslaught on a peaceful community has occasioned loss of lives and property on a large scale.
“It is horrendous, callous, and highly provocative. All well-meaning Nigerians must condemn, in the strongest term possible, this latest assault on decency and communal harmony.”
The chief executive officers of commercial banks in the country have been warned to desist from causing forex scarcity as the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN moves to ensure liquidity in the foreign exchange market.
The stern warning was issued to chief executives of financial institutions at a meeting which was held at the instance of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele recently, the magazine has learnt.
The parley, according to those privy to it was called to address series of complaints by customers that their banks are not making forex available to them for important purposes.
The aggrieved customers include those that want to pay for their children/wards school fees abroad and others who needed such transactions to settle what an insider in the CBN described as ‘invincible items, which are legitimate”.
Worried by the spate of complaints, the apex bank has also promised the banks that more foreign exchange will be allocated to them to address the immediate demands of customers, which includes requests of travelers seeking foreign exchange for travel allowances, payment of tuition and medical fees, among other requests, with a strong warning to the banks that such allocations should not be diverted.
Some banks when allocated forex by the CBN at official rates, sell same to bureau de change operators who sell at parallel market rates with a view to making higher profit for themselves and enabling banks, insiders in the banking sector told The Source.
Sources close to the CBN told the magazine on Monday that the apex bank Governor is seriously worried that some banks are frustrating its efforts to stabilize the volatile foreign exchange market to their selfish ends.
Emefiele told the CEOs to desist from denying customers, particularly travelers, the opportunity to purchase foreign exchange, for the purposes which includes Personal Travel Allowance, PTA, Basic Travel Allowance, BTA, tuition fees, and medical payments as well as Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs transactions.
Going forward, the Emefiele-led apex bank has now established a hotline which customers can call when experiencing problems with the banks when it pertains to foreign exchange requirements, according to the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department at the CBN, Osita Nwanisobi, who also confirmed the meeting with DMBs chief executives.
The CBN has urged customers with genuine complaints to call the CBN via the Bank’s toll-free line: 07002255226 or send an email to [email protected] if their requests are not met.
According to Nwanisobi, the apex bank remained committed to ensuring liquidity in the foreign exchange market, and this will be ensured that those that need forex for legitimate means get it.
“The CBN agreed to increase the amount allocated to banks for travelers, Small and Medium Enterprises among others.The banks also agreed to operate something akin to foreign exchange imprest account such that the coffers of banks would be replenished so long as they retire the initial amounts to the satisfaction of the CBN, ”.Nwanisobi said.
He urged interested members of the public seeking to purchase foreign exchange for PTA, BTA, payment of tuition fees or medical fees to approach their respective banks for that purpose.
“We wish to assure members of the public that the CBN shall continue to monitor market developments and is committed to ensuring an efficient FX market for all legitimate users,” he said.
He advised customers to approach customer service representatives of their designated banks should they encounter challenges.
Security Agents in the morning of Sunday, May 6, 2021, routed gunmen who invaded the Imo State Police Headquarters. This will be the second time the Police Headquarters will be under attack.
In the first attack on Easter Monday, the attackers had a free reign. It was the same day they attacked the Federal Correctional Centre, Owerri. During both attacks, they torched office blocks, releasing prisoners and detainees. But in the case at hand, they met their waterloo.
According to Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, in a Press Release signed by the Governor’s ChiefPress Secretary/Special Adviser on Media, Oguwike Nwachuku, the hoodlums came to effect the release of their colleagues under detention who had already confessed to the atrocities they committed in the State.
Uzodimma also explained that his Government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that peace returns to Imo State faster than expected.
The Governor spoke on Sunday while addressing the congregation at the Government House Chapel, Owerri after Service, to allay the fears of Imolites on the early morning shootings at the state capital.
Governor Uzodimma said the shooting was as a result of an attempt by the bandits to attack the Police Headquarters Owerri but they failed due to the resistance put up by the security agents.
“Today, security architecture of Government yielded another huge success as the combined efforts of security agencies in the State repelled another attempt on the Police Headquarters in Owerri, Imo State.
“You must have learnt of the shooting in the early hours of today (Sunday). It was an attempt by the bandits to release some criminals in police custody, particularly most of those that have confessed to having committed the crimes for which they were arrested and detained.”
The Governor said that the Police working with the army and other security agencies were able, not only to repel the bandits, but apprehended all of them and recovered seven AK 47 Riffles, three Pump Action Riffles and some explosives they would have used to burn down the Police State Headquarters Owerri.
He, therefore, enjoined Imo people to join hands in prayer and thank God for taking control of the security situation in the State.
Governor Uzodimma reassured Imo people that government is on top of the security situation in the state, and that he “will not fold its hands and allow the freedom and welfare of our people trampled upon.”
He promised that government will do everything humanly possible to step up action to ensure there is peace and tranquility in Imo State to allow our economy to grow.
He reiterated his earlier call for the people to go about their normal businesses without fear of molestation “as God Almighty will go ahead and complete the good work he has started in Imo State.”
Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has expressed sadness over the death of the Spiritual Leader of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, describing him as a devout man of God.
In a message of condolence to his family and the SCOAN congregation, signed on his behalf by his Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, the former President noted that Joshua, who died at the age of 57, served God and humanity with relentless passion.
Dr. Jonathan also prayed God to grant millions of his followers across the world the strength to cope with his exit.
The former President stated: “I am saddened to hear about the death of Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, known as TB Joshua, the Spiritual Leader of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), at a young age of 57.
“TB Joshua was a devout man of God who served God and humanity with relentless passion. He was a man of sound doctrine, meek and faithful to his call and passion of reconciling men to God and offering hope to humanity.
“As a Christian leader, TB Joshua and his Ministry exemplified Christ in faith, love and charity; positively impacting the lives of many Nigerians, Africans and millions of people across the world.
“I condole with his family, his church and millions of his followers across the world. May God grant them peace and strength to cope with this loss.”
President Muhammadu Buhari must have been shocked by the local and international condemnations that greeted his government’s ban on Twitter, the US based micro blogging site over the spat his government is currently having with the site for deleting his comment last week.
Apart from many Nigerians who have massively criticized the action for grossly violating their fundamental rights, the government has not been spared by both local and international critics which chided the administration for not considering the grave implications the ban portends for the country.
Since the ban took effect on Saturday night, many Nigerians have been using the Virtual Private Network, VPN, to bypass the local GSM network providers, but the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami has also warned that those doing so will be severely punished.
Because of the role the social media platform played around the globe, critics of the Buhari government said the ban with have both diplomatic, economic and social backlash for the country.
For instance, in a joint statement issued on Saturday, by Canada, the European Union, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, they said banning systems of expression is not the way forward.
The statement was titled, ‘Joint Statement From The Diplomatic Missions Of Canada, The European Union (Delegation To Nigeria), The Republic Of Ireland, The United Kingdom And The United States Of America’.
It read, “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.
Buhari: Condemned for Banning Twitter
“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.
“The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less, communication to accompany the concerted efforts of Nigeria’s citizens in fulsome dialogue toward unity, peace and prosperity.
The twitter ban followed the removal of President Buhari’s tweet where he said “Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand. We are going to be very hard sooner than later.”
Buhari made the statement during a meeting he had with INEC Chairman Professor Yakubu, who complained that the burning of INEC offices and other government facilities in the south east posed a serious challenge to future election in the zone.
But following the backlash that has trailed the ban, the government, however, said it did not take the action because the blogging site sanctioned President Buhari.
The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, in a statement on Friday, June 4, in Abuja, said Twitter was suspended in the interest of Nigeria, noting that the social media site is undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The minister also stated that the suspension was part of the regulation of all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria by the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC.
Indeed, the federal government must have underestimated the reactions to its decision to ban twitter, which many say will now have serious consequences for the country, considering the role that twitter played in the lives of many Nigerians.
These include economic, social and diplomatic roles, which critics of the government said are now in jeopardy, because of the hasty decisions of the Buhari’s administration not to think the issue over before taking acting on it..
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, while reacting to the issue, said the Buhari government has put the livelihood of many Nigerians, particularly youths in danger by suspending Twitter.
The Oyo state helmsman said “We should go beyond emotional reactions to issues and think about how our actions will affect the people we lead and our international ratings socially and economically.
“Twitter has become the platform for young people and indeed all Nigerians to exercise their fundamental right to express and publish an opinion.
“They use the platform to complain, argue and give feedback to the government and its agencies who in turn, use these to improve policies.
“We should also remember that Twitter has gone beyond a source of communication for many of our hardworking youths in Nigeria. It has become a source of livelihood for many, irrespective of their political affiliations or religious leanings. Nigerian youths and digital communications organisations earn a living from being able to use the platform to post communications on behalf of their clients.”
Makinde said he believes “the Federal Government should be actively interested in how certain policies and actions will affect investor confidence. I, therefore, use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government to reverse this suspension for the greater good of Nigerians.”
Nobel Laurette Prof. Wole Soyinka said the Buhari’s administration has done an irreparable damage to the international image of the country, adding that the action is a collateral damage to the freedom of expression.
According to him “If Buhari has a problem with Twitter, he is advised to sort it out between them personally, the way Donald Trump did, not rope in the right to free expression of the Nigerian citizen as collateral damage.
“In any case, this is a technical problem Nigerians should be able to work their way around. The field of free expression remains wide open, free of any dictatorial spasms!”
Amnesty International “condemns the Nigerian government’s suspension of Twitter @Twitter in #Nigeria— a social media widely used by Nigerians to exercise their human rights, including their rights to freedom of expression and access to information.”
“This action is clearly inconsistent and incompatible with Nigeria’s international obligations including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“We call on the #Nigerian authorities to immediately reverse the unlawful suspension and other plans to gag the media, repress the civic space, and undermine Nigerians’ human rights.
SERAP, a human rights body in the country did not only condemn the action, it said “We’re suing Nigerian authorities over their ILLEGAL indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. Nigerians have a right to freedom of expression and access to information including online, and we plan to fight to keep it that way.”
At least over 40 million Nigerians are on Twitter with the social blogging site business in the country to be worth over $1 billion annually.
The economic factor was not well considered, Njoku Mcdonald Nsofor, one of the critics of the government said, noting that what the government did was simply to send many Nigerians using the platform to eke a living into the unemployment market.
He said “President Muhammadu Buhari failed to create jobs for teeming Nigerian youths who roam aimlessly on the streets , forcing many to resort to illicit businesses as a means of survival. It is also on record that Nigerians make money from Twitter and other social media network service providers; Facebook, Instagram , WhatsApp, etc, from daily basis .
“These platforms create a large spectrum of audience with assured mileage , reach and social contact as the users in return make money from:
“Online marketing, online advertisement, blogging , promotion of their goods , services and corporate profiling .
“No doubt, Twitter creates jobs for millions of Nigerians , but Gen. Muhammadu Buhari bans Twitter simply because the network service provider deleted his warmongering tweet.
He said Buhari’s reaction to criticism is almost too abrasive, adding that the president was not the first leader of a country to be so sanctioned.
“Former American starchy and opinionated President, Mr. Donald Trump, received the same treatment from Twitter when he went overboard through a classified hate speech in one of his public functions!
“Did he place a ban on Twitter for doing what they considered flouting their rules of engagement and going below community standard? Obinna said
Also speaking on the economic implications for the country, the US government said step should be taken to reverse the decision immediately.
“The government’s recent Twitter ban undermines Nigerians’ ability to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses,” the President Biden US-led government said. In spite of the bashing that the administration has received so far over the matter, some school of thoughts, however insist that the suspension of Twitter was necessary to send a strong warning to social media operators, who may want to use the web to distabilise the country.
For instance, some analysts said the management of twitter was too hasty in sanctioning the president, noting that what the president said in the now controversial tweet was necessary to deter troublemakers, particularly secessionist elements in the country, whose only intent is to run the country down.
According to one analyst, who craved anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discourse, he said “no president will allow what’s going on in the south east. The only problem is that President Buhari took his Twitter sanction personally.
The president was actually not threatening Igbo, what he did was to simply send a strong message to IPOB and their co-travelers that he will not allow them to destroy the country under his watch.”
The politician from the south East further stated that “no former President in this country, whether Obasanjo or Jonathan can allow the level of wanton destruction of lives and property going on in the south east.”
Also, the Newspapers Proprietors of Nigeria, NPAN blamed Twitter for double standards in applying sanctions to violators of its community rules. For instance, the umbrella body of media owners in the country said the blogging site has been too lenient with IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu “to the extent that Twitter’s action may have been hasty in sanctioning President Buhari, and shown an uneven application to its rules against Kanu, its sincerity stands questioned. It should correct itself.”
NPAN, however, urged “the FG to backtrack from the ban it placed on Twitter, reminding it that Buhari is not the first President in the world whose post was pulled down. Former President Trump of America suffered same fate from both Twitter and Facebook. He banned none.”
In what looked like a reprisal attack, gunmen, suspected to be rogue Fulani Herdsmen attacked Igangan, country home of Yoruba Activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, (Igboho) in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State, leaving not less than 20 people dead.
The midnight attack was coming barely six days after the Chairman of Amotekun Corps in Oyo State, General Ajibola Togun (retd) raised the alarm that some foreign Herders were about to unleash terror on the six states in the South West.
It also came few hours after Igboho, during a Yoruba rally in Ado Ekiti, flayed the activities of Fulani Herdsmen, especially in the South West.
Houses, including the Palace of the Community’s Monarch, were set ablaze.
Spokesperson of Igangan Community, Mr Taiwo Adeagbo, said the invaders, who were Fulani Herders, unleashed terror on residents of the town.
A former Caretaker Chairman of the Council, Mr Tunji Omolewu, claimed the attack was real as he rushed down to Igangan this morning to verify.
‘I got the call around 11 pm. We were on our way from Ekiti where we had gone to do the Yoruba Nation rally. I got to Ibadan around 12 am and when the calls did not stop coming, I decided to come home.
“I have counted more than 20 dead bodies. The Palace of our Monarch was torched. Adolak filling station, too, was burnt.”
Another resident explained that the attackers were more than 50.
“They came on 20 motorcycles around 11 pm. They started shooting, stabbing, and clubbing our people.
“We don’t know what is happening now. We have shouted, cried and appealed for help but none came.
“These people have been killing us one by one. But, now, more than 20 people have been killed in this fresh attack.
“You know we sent them away from here when they were kidnapping and raping our women. Perhaps, this is a reprisal. Is this how we will continue to live our lives?”
