• FG lacks capacity to enforce ban – Experts

Barely 12 hours after the Federal Government announced the indefinite suspension of popular social media platform, Twitter, in Nigeria, the microblogging service has ceased to work on the old app.

But smart people have since downloaded and switched over to new available apps, where they enjoy tweeting unhindered.

They are currently sharing on social media a list of such available Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and they are Hide man, Turbo VPN, Private Tunnel, Surfeasy, Open VPN, Tor Guard, Proton VPN, Hotspot Shied, Private Internet Access and ZenMate.

VPN is a connection that allows users to establish a protected network connection when using public networks.

It helps users to protect their internet traffic and keep their identities private online.

By connecting to a secured VPN server, your internet traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel that nobody can see, including hackers, governments and your internet service provider.

Using it will help hide your internet protocol (IP) address — the unique number that identifies you and your location in the world.

One of the benefits of using VPN is that it changes your IP address. This implies that with a new IP address — which can be that of any country of your choice — you can use Twitter as if you’re in your selected country without restriction.

To do this, all that is needed is to change the location of the VPN to any country of your choice and connect to that country’s VPN.

And should the FG be contemplating a clampdown to block those available apps, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts say Nigeria does have the capability to enforce the ‘indefinite suspension’ of Twitter on the people, groups and businesses in Nigeria.

Indeed, they assert that the FG lacks a central information dissemination system that is required to make the ban work.

President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Ikechukwu Nnamani said he received the news with shock and was trying to study the situation to determine what level of intervention is required.

Nnamani who is also the Founder/CEO, Medallion Communications Limited, an interconnect clearinghouse and co-location data service company, however, hinted that the Association is already in talks with relevant government agencies to see how the issue can be resolved without any backlash.

Immediate past President of ATCON, Olusola Teniola, said, “In the case of Nigeria, it is very difficult to enforce because Twitter doesn’t have a physical office or presence in Nigeria.

“Their office is in Ghana. What obtains is that it is the local technology companies that provide access to their services which people access here.

“Even though the government is desirous of banning the activities of Twitter, it is powerless in this instance because there are several ways to access Twitter.

“I think the government decision would be weakened by the fact there are several other ways to bypass the ban and easily access their (Twitter) service. So there is really no cause for alarm. The digital world cannot be controlled, because it is a global platform.”

Teniola also said, “From the look of things, it is very clear that the government is trying to regulate the internet and social media.

“Unlike China, which is a communist country and has a central information system, this is not possible in Nigeria.

“As we speak, Twitter is still being accessed; it is not inoperative as we speak. So I think it is a mere wishful thinking on the part of government.”

A digital media expert, Mr Akeem Baiyewu, described the suspension as an exercise in futility.

He said the ban on Twitter was tantamount to stopping the wind from blowing.

On what is the likely socioeconomic backlash arising from the ban, Baiyewu said, “It is a mere empty threat by the government and cannot stand the test of time.

“There is no question of whether services would be disrupted. No. People should go about their businesses without any let or hindrance because the ban can’t work here.”

Expatiating, he said: “The whole world is going global and transparency comes with democracy. In today’s world, if you violate any rule, you face the consequence.

“Twitter didn’t impose its rule on the spur of the moment. It has its own rules of engagements which anyone ready to access their services must adhere to. Twitter didn’t force the government to access its services and cannot expect preferential treatment from the social media platform. They (Twitter) made their rules and the federal government joined voluntarily.

“According to Twitter, there was a violation of its rules by the top hierarchy of the Federal Government and it had to enforce its rule. So, I don’t think Twitter committed any infraction whatsoever.”

How Myanmar enforced Twitter, Instagram ban

Myanmar which joined the likes of China, North Korea and others in banning the social media first blocked Facebook and shortly afterwards ordered mobile networks and internet service providers to block Twitter and Facebook-owned Instagram.

The Southeast Asian country’s military seized power in a coup in February, detaining its civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with other government officials.

Facebook users had reportedly been using the social media platform to protest the coup, sharing photos of themselves giving the three-finger salute that’s become associated with resistance in the area.

“All mobile operators, international gateways and internet service providers in Myanmar received a directive on 5 February 2021 from the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) to, until further notice, block the social media platforms Twitter and Instagram,” Norwegian telecom company Telenor said in a statement late yesterday. The company provides mobile services in Myanmar.

Buhari/Twitter face-off

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in announcing the ban on Twitter, said the government was forced to act because of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The sanction of the social media service has sparked widespread outrage, with many Nigerians, including celebrities, condemning the move.

Also reacting, the microblogging site described the directive as “deeply concerning.”

It stated, “The announcement made by the Nigerian Government that they have suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria is deeply concerning.

“We’re investigating and will provide updates when we know more.”

The suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria announced on Friday was a culmination of events that had happened this past week.

Twitter deleted tweets and videos of President Muhammadu Buhari making threats of punishment to a sect called IPOB in the South-East part of the country after he blamed them for attacks on government buildings.

He then made a reference to Nigeria’s civil war events in the 1960s, which seemed to offend many Nigerians.

Buhari, who was the country’s Head of State in the 1980s and served in the army against secessionists, said young Nigerians in the South East were too young to remember the horrible events that occurred during the war.

According to him, the activities of the present-day secessionists are likely headed toward war; hence, it was proactive to stop them beforehand with force.

“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” he said.

Twitter chose to delete the tweet, which it said violated its abusive behaviour policy and several calls by Nigerians to take it down.

Twitter also suspended the President’s account, leaving it in a “read-only mode” for 12 hours.

Following its decision, Mohammed called out the social media giant by saying its decision was biased and said the President had a right to express his thoughts on events that affect the country.

He also raised suspicion about the platform’s intention in the country. “Twitter may have its own rules; it’s not the universal rule. If Mr President anywhere in the world feels very bad and concerned about a situation, he is free to express such views… The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very, very suspect,” he said.

In a retaliation act, Nigeria has proceeded to suspend the platform’s operations in the country. While Twitter doesn’t have any offices in the country, this announcement can still play out.

-Additional reports by TheCable and The Nation