Truckers Protest: Nigeria Accuses Canada Of Double Standards

By Uche Mbah

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has accused the Canadian Government and Social Media Giant, Twitter, of double standards over the Truckers protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Canada.

Truckers have occupied major cities of Canada protesting against mandatory vaccines and face masks, vowing to occupy the Government House and Parliament until their demands are met. The Canadian Prime Minister had relocated to an unknown location.

Recall that during the #EndSARS protest against police brutality and alleged bad Governance in 2019, the Canadian Government condemned, in strong terms, the actions taken by the Nigerian Government to contain it.

The Canadian government had tweeted, using their verified twitter handle, @CanadaFP:“Canada is deeply concerned about the excessive use of force during the ongoing protests in #Nigeria. Those responsible for #HumanRights violations and abuse must be held accountable.”

Mohammed now accuses Twitter and the West of double standards citing the way they are handling their own crisis.

During a news briefing Sunday, the Minister said  that the Canadian protesters, “who have blockaded roads and resorted to inconveniencing others, have been branded as terrorists or insurrectionists and subjected to a number of clampdown by Government and Private Organisations.”

According to him, the crowdfunding company GoFundMe has closed down the campaign to raise funds for the truckers, even after raising over $10 million.

He did not add that the GoFundMe later rescinded their decision.

He also said that Twitter has suspended the truckers account just as the Ontario State Government froze access to millions donated through an online fundraising platform GiveSendGo meant for the protesters.

“Jim Watson, the Mayor of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, has also declared a State of Emergency in the city in response, saying the protests posed a threat to residents’ safety,” he said.

“Recall, gentlemen, that during the EndSARS protest, which culminated in the blockage of public roads and massive destruction of Government and private property, Canada was one of the countries that spoke out in support of the protesters.

“Recall also that Twitter actively supported the #EndSARS protesters and even helped them to raise funds while GoFundMe was used to raise funds for the protests.

”Now both the Canadian Government and Twitter are now rushing to distance themselves from the protesters in Canada and even denying them the use of their platforms.

“This is similar to what played out during the January 6th 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol In Washington, D.C. where those involved are either still being investigated or have been charged to court. I don’t blame them. Nobody wants their country destroyed under the guise of protests.”

Although he denied gloating over the Canadian debacle, he claimed to be calling attention to their double standards .

“Don’t misunderstand this intervention. We are not gloating over the unfortunate development in Canada. But we are only calling attention to the double standards involved in the way protesters deemed to be violent are perceived in Nigeria and in the West.

“Those who referred to the hoodlums who destroyed public and private property in Nigeria under the guise of #EndSARS as peaceful protesters have tagged similar protesters in their own countries as insurrectionists and terrorists. This glaring double standard should not be lost on all Nigerians.

“We have always said that you must have a country before you can even enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by your country’s constitution. If there is no Nigeria, no one will be talking of freedom of expression or freedom of association and the likes.

“This realisation explains why every country goes the extra mile to protect and preserve itself. And this also explains why we have continued to insist on the regulation of social media to ensure responsible content. In this area, I can confidently say we are far ahead of most countries in the world, who have now realized that social media must be regulated in the interest of their own people.

“In this regard, our successful negotiation with Twitter to fashion out measures to ensure responsible use of that platform which, by the way, will also apply to other social media platforms, has made us a global trailblazer in efforts to prevent harmful content from social media platforms

“Gentlemen, we must not allow anyone to destroy our country under the guise of protest or unbridled freedoms. We all must put Nigeria first at all times,” he concluded.