The recent loggerhead between Twitter, Nigeria government and her citizens has generated a whole lot of thoughts and opinion in the public domain. While some are mostly interested in pontificating the legality and illegality of such a ban, some have shown more concern about what Nigeria and Nigerians are loosing in form of money that’s already running into billions of Naira as a result of this ban. I will not also forget the group that blamed the system for not growing and encouraging technologically smart citizens that can create a medium like Twitter, group to which Mr Abire, an SA media to a NASS member falls. But what interest me the most at the time of writing this piece is that, though the announcement of Twitter Ban was said to have been made on Twitter, Nigerians have not stopped expressing their displeasure about the ban, using the same Twitter. This forms the basis of my curiosity for the word ‘Ban’ in Nigeria government context.
You’ll all recall the activities of the insurgent Boko Haram set that started their operation in the North eastern part of Nigeria. What was said to be a mere religious ideology in the year 2002 by one Yusuf gradually escalated to an unrest in the North East, which in a short while spreads to other northern states, while their uncertain presence in southern Nigeria will not but remind people that such a group truly exist whenever there’s any explosion, a typical example was the explosion along Owo-Akure express way of Ondo State on the 28 of March 2020. The same group graduated to a well established terrorist group that evidence shows are either more powerful, or insumountable by Nigeria State. Gruesome killings, sometimes and many times massacre becomes the order of the day. Massive kidnaping for randsome, and sometimes for hostages. It continues on and on that one will wonder if Nigeria was really in charge. It’s that serious.
You probably would remember that Jonathan Government’s wouldn’t stopped assuring that all insecurity will be dealt with within the shortest time possible. The broad daylight overtaken of some of the local Governments in Borno by Boko Haram didn’t hide the impotence of Government over this insurgent group, and the kidnapp of over 200girls in Chibok secondary School in Chibok local government of Brono state was the last blow that killed the faith of Nigerians in Jonathan’s government, and this became a fertile ground for the then opposition party, APC to criticize, and assure Nigerians that Boko Haram insurgents will become a thing of the past within the shortest possible time, should Nigerians vote them to power. Nigerians bought the overall ‘change’ idea offered by APC, hoping for a true manifestation of change in all ramifications as enshrined in the party’s manifesto.
On 24th of December 2015, President Muhammed Buhari in a statement made available to BBC asserted that his government has conquered Boko Haram, but ‘technically’. The meaning of the word ‘ Technical defeat’ remain practically unknown till date, as the reality proves contrary. Beside Boko Haram, Nigeria is now battling with banditry, kidnapping, and killer heardsmen among others in all nook and crannies of Nigeria states.
It may also interest you to know that 10.5 million Nigerians have been lifted out of poverty in the last two years, while 90million addition will also be out of poverty in the next ten years according to president Muhammed Buhari in his Democracy Day’s speech(June 12- 2021).
From tackling insecurity to creating employment, building Nigeria Economy, lifting Nigerians out of poverty, providing quality education among other key things, Nigeria government has continue to ‘conquer’ (in terms of insecurity), ‘build’ (economy) ‘provide’ (quality Education), ‘provide’ (quality Health care) among others, while these problems continue to obviously persist. hence, the need for the question; ‘Twitter Ban, Like Every Other Ban’?
On 5 June 2021, the Nigerian government officially put an indefinite ban on Twitter restricting it from operating in Nigeria after the social media platform deleted tweets made by the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari warning the south eastern people of Nigeria predominantly occupied by the Igbo people of a potential repeat of the 1967 Biafran Civil War. The Nigerian government claimed that the deletion of the President’s tweets factored into their decision but it was ultimately based on “a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences”. In no fewer days, news broke out that Nigeria will reach out to China for building of a fire wall, after the preemptive announcement of a ban that appears like that of a basket that can’t hold water. This in particular gave me a serious concern that a government that was determined to ban Twitter had no pre-plans of ensuring It’s absolutely effective.
Then I see a government who have been acting emotionally, rather than consciously over the years. Government’s unpreparedness to truly solve many of the problems they claimed to have solved over the years is responsible for these problems persistence.
While I’m not advocating or encouraging untimely Government actions and reactions to the many problems bedeveling Nigeria State, I’m making this call that government should spend quality time in the preparative stage to gather adequate information and intelligence, in other to have a realistic and an effective success at the end of every actions.
Even in the midst of Twitter Ban, I’m hopeful this thought will no doubt be shared on Twitter too
~Merit Ogolo Temidayo