The federal government of Nigeria lied about the agreement it supposedly had with microblogging app Twitter early in the year, according to documents found in Twitter files released by the company’s new owner and CEO Elon Musk.
In January, the Nigerian government lifted a seven-month ban it has placed on Twitter, saying it had reached an agreement with the social media platform to implement a new set of conditions that will ensure that what led to the Twitter ban does not happen again.
But the document contained in the released Twitter files said there was no such agreement and Twitter had upheld the government’s lie – created a room for stifling of free speech in Nigeria, by not refuting the false statement about the agreement.
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“The Nigerian government blocked Twitter in June 2021, then falsely claimed to be in negotiations with Twitter executives; Twitter’s failure to correct the false record on many reported non-existent discussions with the Nigerian government permitted Nigeria to negotiate unilaterally through media and dictate unfavorable terms for final resolution,” stated the document.
“Twitter’s deliberate decision to refrain from correcting misinformation about Twitter’s proposed negotiations with the Nigerian government directly harmed Twitter shareholders, permitting the Nigerian government to impose various conditions on the platform harmed free expression rights and democratic accountability for Nigerian citizens,” the document added.
Twitter was banned after the social media platform removed a tweet made by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating its policy on violence. The tweet had threatened violence against the Igbo-dominated Southeast Nigeria, making reference to the country’s brutal civil war.
After the ban was announced in June 5 2021 by the Minister of Information, the Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami directed the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) “to swing into action and commence in earnest the process of prosecution of violators of the Federal Government De-activation of operations of Twitter in Nigeria.”
The ban, which was widely described as a brazen attempt to muzzle freedom of speech, drew condemnation from the international community. The Nigerian government said it had taken the step to prevent Twitter from being the source of the country’s implosion.
However, as the pressure to unban Twitter mounts on the government, Buhari’s administration came up with the idea of presenting lines of conditions to the social media company – a move believed it had initiated to save face.
“Following the suspension of Twitter operations, Twitter Inc. reached out to the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve the impasse. Subsequently, I constituted a Presidential Committee to engage Twitter to explore the possibility of resolving the issue,” Buhari said in his 61st Independence Day address.
He added that the Committee, along with its Technical Team, has engaged with Twitter and have addressed a number of key issues. These are:
- National Security and Cohesion;
- Registration, Physical presence and Representation;
- Fair Taxation;
- Dispute Resolution; and
- Local Content.
Twitter neither refuted nor acknowledged any part of the said agreement, stirring skepticism that the parties had reached an agreement. After over one year, none of the issues highlighted by the president has been addressed by Twitter.
E shock you? It shouldn’t joor. The party captured power by telling lies, nobody needs to lecture me on the events leading up to 2015 elections. That is why they need to be kicked out, because most people will never understand the level of damage these funny creatures brought to the land, until they leave the stage.
Their presidential candidate is allergic to media, his boys are already demanding for the sack of journalists, for supposedly not being friendly to their candidate. This is a country where creatures who have no relationship with truths still believe that they can have valid opinions on matters of credibility and fairness.
And Twitter played along, neither acknowledged nor denied. Elon Musk is the real MVP, what he has brought to Twitter in less than two months, it tells you why the mouth breathers and snowflakes detest him so much, but he remains the correct guy.
The lackeys told Buhari that they negotiated, and even inserted same in his Independence Day speech; now they will need to tell a new lie in order to validate the old lie. It’s part of the ‘Teamship’ phenomenon, in case you are not aware.
The evil man do…