So the federal government recently banned Twitter in Nigeria after the president’s genocidal tweet was deleted. I usually do not comment on things like this but being a fencist at this point is not an option.
Like some of you already know, i was actively involved in the #endsarzprotest which took the country by storm but unfortunately, it ended on a sour note with many young Nigerians losing their lives at the lekki tollgate protest ground.
It seems Nigerians are up for a bumpy ride
My thoughts on the Twitter ban without sounding like an alarmist: i think we had this coming. Ever since the endsarz protest that spread around different parts of the country, we have seen the government devise different ways to stiffen the freedom of the masses.
It started with the talks of regulating the social media sphere against hate speak and fake news. A social bill was purposed which resisted by the masses.The government's effort also extend to the entire digital space.
What followed was a ban on crypto in Nigeria. The narrative was that bitcoin was running the country's economy to the ground. But here is what I think: the move was well calculated to preempt another revolt against this corrupt regime.
For those who followed the endsarz protest, you can attest to the fact that the government through the central bank tried to restrict fundings that came to support the protest. The protest was tagged by the government as a politically motivated protest. Private accounts were frozen and the only option was crypto.
Old dogs, old tricks…
This government has done everything in their books to stiffen freedom of speech and to be quite frank I don't think they will relent even if they do not have the technical know-how to do so.
If anything, this generation of Nigerians is more tech-savvy and we live in a global village where information is easily disseminated. It is only important to control anything without using brute force, which the government is not shy of using.
In conclusion, although I know Twitter isn't exactly pro-free-speech and I should be happy that they are getting a dosage of their medicine, but this doesn't mean well for the country. I am hoping we as a country find our way out of this mess.