Federal Government of Nigeria has directed telecoms operators to enforce the Twitter suspension.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said it has received directives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to suspend access to Twitter.
ALTON President, Gbenga Adebayo disclosed this in a statement made available on Saturday.
The directive follows Friday’s indefinite suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria after the social media giant deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet.
Adebayo noted that the association wished to confirm that its members had received formal instructions from NCC, the industry regulator, to suspend access to Twitter.
“ALTON has also conducted a robust assessment of the request in accordance with internationally accepted principles.
“Based on national interest provisions in the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and within the licence terms under which the industry operates; our members have acted in compliance with the directives of NCC.
“We will continue to engage all relevant authorities and stakeholders and will act as may be further directed by the NCC, ” Adebayo said.
Gatekeepers News reports that the ALTON boss said the association remained committed to supporting the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and upholding the rights of citizens.
Adebayo said ALTON as an industry, however, endorsed the position of the United Nations that the rights held by people offline must also be protected online.
He noted that this included respecting and protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications.
