The minority caucus of both the Senate and House of Representatives has called on Nigerians to ignore the ban placed on Twitter by the Federal Government, and in fact, should continue to use the social media platform.
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe; and the Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday, titled ‘NASS Joint Minority Caucus Asks Nigerians to Continue Using Twitter.’
The National Assembly minus caucus described the ban as draconian and complained that many Nigerians are losing their sources of livelihood to the action.
The opposition lawmakers also dismissed threats made by the federal government to arrest and prosecute Nigerians for using twitter.
The caucus urged Nigerians to “go ahead and use their Twitter (handles), assuring that they would not be contravening any law in Nigeria or any international statute.”
The statement partly read, “As lawmakers, the joint caucus is pained by the anguish Nigerians, especially the youths, who find the use of twitter as a means of livelihood and genuine social interaction, are passing through just because the APC-led Federal Government feels slighted that an individual’s post, was deleted by Twitter for ethical violation.
“The joint caucus, therefore, calls on Nigerians to use various opportunities offered by technology and continue making use of twitter since such does not violate any law in our country.
“It is agonizing that Nigeria and Nigerians have been losing billions of naira on a daily basis since the ban on Twitter. This is completely unacceptable as it is worsening the already biting economic hardship and frightening unemployment level in the country.
“Moreover, the ban on Twitter in Nigeria appears to be in favor of criminal and terrorist elements, whose activities fester in an environment of suppressed information flow.”
However, the caucus sympathized with organizations, whose genuine business and means of livelihood have been crippled by the unwarranted ban on Twitter by the APC Federal Government.
“In the same vein, the joint caucus sympathizes with regional, states, local government as well as members of the international community, whose genuine and constructive activities have been crippled by the prohibition of twitter in Nigeria
“It also identifies with traditional rulers, who have even found Twitter as a means of communicating with the constituents, especially in this era of insecurity in the country,” the statement added.