Thursday- 5th August, 2021: The United States Consul General in Nigeria, Claire Pierangelo, has described the Twitter suspension in Nigeria as a threat to the human rights of Nigerians.
She made this known in an event tagged, ‘A conversation on press freedom, freedom of expression and civic space in Nigeria.’
She said the Twitter suspension and the directive by the Buhari-led administration to all social media platforms registered in Nigeria, is worrisome and calls for great concern.
“Banning or significantly restricting social media, including under threat of prosecution, undermines Nigerians’ human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Pierangelo said.
She added, “Nigerian government’s ongoing suspension of Twitter and stated intent to introduce registration requirements for other social media platforms are deeply worrisome.”
According to her, democracy is categorised by freedom of the press.
Making reference to her country, the Consul General said, “the Biden-Harris administration is committed to putting human rights at the heart of our foreign policy, and that includes press freedom and freedom of expression.”
Recall that Nigerian Government on June 4 announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. Telecommunication companies started blocking access to Twitter on June 5, after they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to Twitter.
The FG had cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as the reason for the suspension.
