*Asks international communities to intervene
By Nwakpa O Nwakpa
Intersociety, an international nongovernmental organisation based in Nigeria, has declared that with the suspension of Tweeter in the country, Nigeria has entered into the information dark age, where freedom of speech is curtailed.
In a statement by its principal officers: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche and Chidimma Udegbunam, they said that with the development, “the country is not only closest to the abyss of doom and ruination, but has also become birds of the same feather with Somalia, Afghanistan, Iran, Cuba and North Korea in international isolationism or world’s club of most secretive and closed societies”. They further said that “Nigeria has also speedily made the list of worst of the worst category which it shares with the failed and battered states of Somalia and Afghanistan”.
They noted that being in the category of countries seen as being in information dark ages, “Nigeria shares same with closed societies of Cuba, Iran and North Korea; but unlike Iran, North Korea and Cuba, rated high in the category of massive armaments and other military weaponry, Nigeria is paired with Somalia and Afghanistan as countries at the stages of sociopolitical implosion and explosion and information dark age”.
They referred to the statements made by former Tanzania president, Julius Nyerere, “it is sad and unfortunate that when the Europeans, North Americans and Asians are busy finding their way into the moon, Africans are busy moving back to the cave’.
“In other words, Nigeria has speedily gone back to the cave including dark era of information and its dissemination.”It is therefore saddening and shocking that the country’s leaders have, by their latest act, further retrogressed and internationally darkened Nigeria and the citizenry including children, wives, relatives, friends and stooges of the leaders.
“It is so bad that the country is now pushed back to the cave of information dark age. “The Taliban era cultural intent of the present central government of Nigeria is now played out opportunistically using Twitter’s deletion of the country’s presidential genocidal war threat against the mostly Christian regions of the country.
“Truly and circumstantially speaking, Intersociety does not see the Nigeria government’s indefinite ban on Twitter and moves to stifle others as accidental or momentary decision.
“Rather, it is an intended policy kept in coolers waiting for its maturation time”.
They accused the present Ministry of Information of “not manned by information literate and ICT compliant Minster of Information, but a legendary propagandist.
“The country’s Ministry of Digital Communications is also not manned by an ICT lettered and compliant Minister of Digital Communications but by an opposite.
“Evidentially, the present government of Nigeria has not hidden its contempt for free speech and social communications as it had since 2016 worked hard by way of policy, legislation and conduct to achieve same.
“It is therefore not enough for international super powers and democracies to merely condemn the Nigerian government’s ban on Twitter and moves to stifle others, but they must go beyond such condemnations and place the country on red alert and watch list.
“The stark truth remains that the country’s leaders are incorrigibly and immorally bent on plunging the country into “complex humanitarian emergencies or catastrophes.
“The moves by the Nigerian government are to further cut off the country’s citizens from outside world including denying them right to be heard and document, present and publicize evidence of planned genocide to the outside world.
“The global democracies including the super powers must therefore not wait for Nigeria to become another Rwanda or Syria before they act including offering of ‘medicine-after-death’ humanitarian assistance.
“Nigerian government must therefore be compelled locally and internationally to rescind such ignoble ban and moves to stifle others”.
