A Port-Harcourt resident, Mr Victor Marcus, has alleged that the federal government is looking for opportunity to shut down social media in the country saying that the misunderstanding between Twitter and the federal government was an opportunity to ban the social media platform.
Mr Marcus said that he did not see the federal government reversing its ban against twitter.
The resident said: “What I see is that they would even make attempt to shut down other social media (platforms) like Facebook. This has been their plan to regulate social media. They’ve been looking for an opportunity to shut down social media and twitter just gave them one opportunity by deleting the tweet of the President”.
He said that the government would also look for excuse to shut down Facebook and prevent Nigerians from communicating on the platform.
He said he does not see the federal government reversing its ban on twitter despite calls by international community to reverse the ban.
The resident alleged that the government does not respect the rights of citizens.
Another resident, Clement, a digital marketer, however said he believes that the federal government would reverse the ban as soon as possible.
He also said that there was so much pressure on the government to reverse the ban.
He said that the federal government should begin the regulation of social media gradually.
Another resident said that the government took the decision against twitter because it was offended when Twitter took its African headquarters to Ghana saying that it was a slap on the country.
He however said government would resolve the issue with twitter but noted there would be stalemate if twitter did not meet the conditions.
Also another resident, Frank, said he did not see anything happening in the nearest future between twitter and federal government.
He said that the federal government banned twitter because it did not put interest of citizens first adding that banning twitter has put people out of business.
A message by Anderson Chidi said: “Federal government may settle with Twitter but the new conditions will not be favourable to Nigerians on the freedom of speech and this move by the federal government is just the first among what they want to do to other social media platforms”.
Another resident, Emeka Austin, said that whether the ban was reversed or not, he would continue tweeting.
Also, a resident said that the government proved tweeter right for not siting their headquarters in Nigeria saying by the ban the federal government might have ordered attack on offices and staff of twitter.
A resident Okonkwo said he believes that the international community could compel Nigeria to lift the ban on twitter.
They were sharing their views on a programmme on Nigeria Info 92.3 in Port-Harcourt.
Recently twitter was banned by the federal government for deleting a post by President Muhammadu Buhari in which he said he would treat Nigerians “misbehaving today” in “the language they will understand”.
Twitter said that the post violated its rules.
But Information Minister Lai Mohammed said that twitter was guilty of double standards.
