Several hours after the Nigerian government suspended micro-blogging and social networking service, Twitter, checks by SaharaReporters revealed that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have tweeted even after the pronouncement.
Twitter remains active on mobile phones and the site remains accessible with trending topics such as Lai Mohammed, Mazi and Adamu Garba.
Lai Mohammed has 21,100 tweets, Mazi has 9,049 tweets while Adamu Garba has 11, 900 tweets as of press time.
Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had earlier said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration suspended Twitter over the use of the platform for AC "activities which undermine the corporate existence of the country."
The Minister said the Federal Government had also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria," Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant to the President (Media),
Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, had said in a release.
The tweet read, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
The President's Twitter account was reported by Nigerians who understood the last part of the thread as threats against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Many reminded Buhari of the consequences of the Nigerian Civil War which lasted from 1967 to 1970, stating that such must not be repeated.
Over 3 million people, largely Igbo people were estimated to have been killed in the civil war.
“In line with our global policies, we’ve removed a post from President Buhari’s Facebook page for violating our Community Standards against inciting violence. We remove any content, from individuals or organisations that violates our policies on Facebook,” the media giant said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government on Friday suspended Twitter’s operations indefinitely, after accusing the micro-blogging site of “undermining Nigeria’s existence.”
In a statement on Friday, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, 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 suspension of the social networking service was also shared on the Twitter handle of the Federal Ministry of Information, which has since generated reactions from some Nigerians on Twitter.
However, as of the time of this report, the platform is still active within Nigeria.
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The tweet read, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
The President's Twitter account was reported by Nigerians who understood the last part of the thread as threats against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Many reminded Buhari of the consequences of the Nigerian Civil War which lasted from 1967 to 1970, stating that such must not be repeated.
Over 3 million people, largely Igbo people were estimated to have been killed in the civil war.
“In line with our global policies, we’ve removed a post from President Buhari’s Facebook page for violating our Community Standards against inciting violence. We remove any content, from individuals or organisations that violates our policies on Facebook,” the media giant said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government on Friday suspended Twitter’s operations indefinitely, after accusing the micro-blogging site of “undermining Nigeria’s existence.”
In a statement on Friday, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, 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 suspension of the social networking service was also shared on the Twitter handle of the Federal Ministry of Information, which has since generated reactions from some Nigerians on Twitter.
However, as of the time of this report, the platform is still active within Nigeria.
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A group, One Love Foundation has threatened to sue the Federal Government of Nigeria over the indefinite suspension placed on the microblogging platform, Twitter.
In a letter addressed to the Federal Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the group stated that it will challenge the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice if the ban on Twitter is not repealed within 48 hours.
The letter was signed by Ihensekhien Samuel Junior for Patrick Elholor, the President of the group.
It also stated that when the strike action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) is over, the group will sue the Federal Government at the Federal High Court.
”We are this evening in receipt of the announcement by the federal government of Nigeria over the banning from Nigeria airspace, of the worldwide microblogging site with acronym name as www.twitter.com.
“Consequently, this act by the FG of Nigeria without any legal and reasonable reasons/justification is not only illegal, unconstitutional but tend to drive fear in the eyes of ordinary Nigerians, that their enshrined rights to impart and receive information, are not only being threatened but look as if they are being taken away from them by this FG ban of Twitter in this regard.
“We, as a group hereby politely request the FG of Nigeria, to subsequently in good faith withdraw forthwith the ban of Twitter in this regard, as the economic, socio and other benefits of www. twitter.com are so numerous to Nigerians in this regard and hence this ban is not only untenable but is done in bad faith at this point in time.
“However if these our demands as stated above are not adhered to within 48 hours, failure of which, we shall be constrained to challenge this action of FG ban of www. twitter.com at the ECOWAS court and when the JUSUN strike is over at the Federal High court also, as we hope the wise counsel will prevail in this matter.”
SaharaReporters recalls that Mohammed had announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter in a statement signed by his Special Assistant Segun Adeyemi, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The Minister said the Federal Government had also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
The development comes after Twitter deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet where he threatened to treat Nigerians “misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.
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A group, One Love Foundation has threatened to sue the Federal Government of Nigeria over the indefinite suspension placed on the microblogging platform, Twitter.
In a letter addressed to the Federal Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the group stated that it will challenge the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice if the ban on Twitter is not repealed within 48 hours.
The letter was signed by Ihensekhien Samuel Junior for Patrick Elholor, the President of the group.
It also stated that when the strike action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) is over, the group will sue the Federal Government at the Federal High Court.
”We are this evening in receipt of the announcement by the federal government of Nigeria over the banning from Nigeria airspace, of the worldwide microblogging site with acronym name as www.twitter.com.
“Consequently, this act by the FG of Nigeria without any legal and reasonable reasons/justification is not only illegal, unconstitutional but tend to drive fear in the eyes of ordinary Nigerians, that their enshrined rights to impart and receive information, are not only being threatened but look as if they are being taken away from them by this FG ban of Twitter in this regard.
“We, as a group hereby politely request the FG of Nigeria, to subsequently in good faith withdraw forthwith the ban of Twitter in this regard, as the economic, socio and other benefits of www. twitter.com are so numerous to Nigerians in this regard and hence this ban is not only untenable but is done in bad faith at this point in time.
“However if these our demands as stated above are not adhered to within 48 hours, failure of which, we shall be constrained to challenge this action of FG ban of www. twitter.com at the ECOWAS court and when the JUSUN strike is over at the Federal High court also, as we hope the wise counsel will prevail in this matter.”
SaharaReporters recalls that Mohammed had announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter in a statement signed by his Special Assistant Segun Adeyemi, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The Minister said the Federal Government had also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
The development comes after Twitter deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet where he threatened to treat Nigerians “misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.
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Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has reacted to the indefinite suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s information and culture minister, Lai Mohammed had announced Twitter’s suspension in a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi.
Wole SoyinkaBritannica
The suspension by the Nigerian government comes days after a post by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 1967 civil war was deleted by the microblogging platform.
The suspension of the social networking service was also shared on the Twitter handle of the Federal Ministry of Information, which has since generated reactions from some Nigerians on the social media platform.
The Nigerian government’s spokesman cited “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” as the reason for the suspension.
Reacting in a statement obtained by SaharaReporters, Soyinka described the move as unbecoming of a democratically elected President.
According to the Nobel Laureate, if Buhari has a problem with the microblogging platform, he should sort it out between them personally, the way ex-US president Donald Trump did and not rope in the right to free expression of the Nigerian citizen as collateral damage.
He said, “Heard the news of Buhari's ban on Twitter an hour or so after sending off TO SHOCK AND AWE to the print media. Kindly add my total lack of surprise at this petulant gesture, unbecoming of a democratically elected president.
"If Buhari has a problem with Twitter, he is advised to sort it out between them personally, the way Donald Trump did, not rope in the right to free expression of the Nigerian citizen as collateral damage.
“In any case, this is a technical problem Nigerians should be able to work their way around. The field of free expression remains wide open, free of any dictatorial spasms!”
Soyinka added that Buhari’s comments about Igbo genocide was absolutely unpresidential.
“We heard it last during the heydays of Donald Rumsfeld under George Bush – and judge in what condition it has left that part of the world, and beyond. Rumsfeld’s namesake - a sobering coincidence - also spat the same gung-ho rhetoric. That Donald once ordered his uniformed forces to 'go out there' and 'dominate the environment', following civilian protests at extra-judicial killings of blacks by state police. Soon enough, leaving nothing to chance, that Donald II seized on the first opportunity to personally mobilize a mob to 'dominate' Capitol Hill, his own seat of government that was clearly slipping from his control.
“Optimists are free to underplay that threat to the much acclaimed democratic beacon. Study that scenario carefully however, and you find It is not a question of: it could never have succeeded. Such surmises are wrong, It COULD HAVE SUCCEEDED, albeit with unpredictable consequences for America and the world.
“And so when the elected head of a democratic state like Nigeria, not perched precariously on the knife edge of power but with a couple more years in the kitty, threatens to 'shock' dissidents, we should indeed be shocked out of any complacency. Even if History has been deliberately eliminated from the schools curriculum, Memory suffices to jerk us into a watchful, precautionary alert.
“I hold no brief for those who resort to burning down police stations, slaughter their occupants simply for the crime of earning a measly monthly pittance, torch electoral offices , assassinate politicians in calculated effort to set sections of the country against others in the promotion of their own political goals. These are largely nihilists, psychopaths and/or criminal lords, soul mates of Boko Haram, ISWAP, Da’esh and company, not to be confused with genuine liberators. All over the world, throughout history, elections are denounced, boycotted, and generally delegitimized without recourse to wanton butchery.
“When, however, a Head of State threatens to 'shock' civilian dissidents, to 'deal with them in the language they understand', and in a context that conveniently brackets opposition to governance with any bloodthirsting enemies of state, we have to call attention to the precedent language of such a national leader under even more provocative, nation disintegrative circumstances. What a pity, and what a tragic setting, to discover that this language was accessible all the time to President Buhari, where and when it truly mattered, when it would have been not only appropriate, but deserved and mandatory!
“When Benue was first massively brought under siege, with the massacre of innocent citizens, the destruction of farms, mass displacement followed by alien occupation, Buhari’s language – both as utterance and as what is known as 'body language' - was of a totally different temper. It was diffident, conciliatory, even apologetic. After much internal pressure, he eventually visited the scene of slaughter. His language? Learn to live peacefully with your neighbours. The expected language, rationally and legitimately applied to the aggressors, was exactly what we now hear – 'I shall shock you. I shall deal with you in the language you understand'. That language was missing at the moment that mattered most. It remained “missing in action” for years until a belated “Shoot at sight” outburst. Too late, and of course, inappropriately phrased.
“The precedent had been set, the genie let out of the bottle, consolidating a culture of impunity that predictably spread its bloody stain all over the nation. Buhari’s recent deployment of this language is thus wrongly targeted, and tragically untimely. Even while he was threatening dissidents, an agenda of both secessionism and alien occupation was taking place not too distant from Aso Rock. ISWAP was taking over the already excised territories of Shekau’s Boko Haram, appointing new warlords of the occupational forces, sectioning Nigeria into vassal states and unfurling their replacement flags of domination. Soon, logically, ISWAP’s letters of diplomatic accreditation will be presented in Aso Rock?
“We must however backtrack a little – that is the function of memory. It would be false to suggest that these eggs of impunity are newly laid. They have been incubating in loathsome hatcheries of power and domination for years, even decades, and now the raptors have been hatched and taken wings. The political culture of the devil’s bargain, of denial, evasion, avoidance of constitutional mandates, the culture of 'appeasement of the unappeasable' – to quote myself – in order to gratify the vested interests of a narrow, power obsessed elite has blossomed. Finally, the chickens have come home to roost.
“The evocation of the Civil War, where millions of civilians perished, is an unworthy emotive ploy that has run its course. In any case – and this has been voiced all too often, and loudly - the nation is already at war, and of a far more potentially devastating dimension than it has ever known. Every single occupant of this nation space called Nigeria has been declared potential casualty, children being pushed to the very battlefront, without a semblance of protective cover. We have betrayed the future. We need no breast beating about past wars. The world has moved on, so have nations. Some, however, prefer to move backwards. The continent is full of these atavists. In Nigeria, powerful cliques of this persuasion still roam the corridors of power We are indeed at war. It does not take the formal declaration of hostilities, with or without lethal bombardments, for a nation to find itself shell-shocked. The populace of this nation is already in that shell-shocked condition. So, what is there left to shock?
“It is time to think 'outside the box'. That many, in so doing, find no landing place except dissolution, is not a crime. It is not peculiar to any peoples, and is embedded in the ongoing history of many, and not only on this continent. It is their natural right as free citizens, not slaves of habit and indoctrination. Where disillusion rides high, sentiment tumbles earthwards, and the only question becomes: what can be salvaged? It thus remains the responsibility of leadership to persuade them, through both discourse and remedial action, that there are other options. Attempted bullying is not a language of discourse, nor the facile ploy of tarring all birds with the same feather.
I shall end on a personal note. It was not intended but, in view of breast thumping rhetoric by one president after the other over military sacrifice – undeniable, certainly – such recalls should be considered salutary. The heroic exploits of our military in confronting some of the deadliest internal forces of dehumanization deserve their place of honour, not only in history, but in contemporary consciousness.
“However, let not the military fail to take its place centrally in the nation’s ongoing, unavoidable soul searching. And so to an instructive intervention by this 'bloody civilian', in what should be an exclusionary portfolio of the keepers of a nation’s mandate for secure existence.”
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Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka has reacted to the indefinite suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s information and culture minister, Lai Mohammed had announced Twitter’s suspension in a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi.
Wole SoyinkaBritannica
The suspension by the Nigerian government comes days after a post by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 1967 civil war was deleted by the microblogging platform.
The suspension of the social networking service was also shared on the Twitter handle of the Federal Ministry of Information, which has since generated reactions from some Nigerians on the social media platform.
The Nigerian government’s spokesman cited “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” as the reason for the suspension.
Reacting in a statement obtained by SaharaReporters, Soyinka described the move as unbecoming of a democratically elected President.
According to the Nobel Laureate, if Buhari has a problem with the microblogging platform, he should sort it out between them personally, the way ex-US president Donald Trump did and not rope in the right to free expression of the Nigerian citizen as collateral damage.
He said, “Heard the news of Buhari's ban on Twitter an hour or so after sending off TO SHOCK AND AWE to the print media. Kindly add my total lack of surprise at this petulant gesture, unbecoming of a democratically elected president.
"If Buhari has a problem with Twitter, he is advised to sort it out between them personally, the way Donald Trump did, not rope in the right to free expression of the Nigerian citizen as collateral damage.
“In any case, this is a technical problem Nigerians should be able to work their way around. The field of free expression remains wide open, free of any dictatorial spasms!”
Soyinka added that Buhari’s comments about Igbo genocide was absolutely unpresidential.
“We heard it last during the heydays of Donald Rumsfeld under George Bush – and judge in what condition it has left that part of the world, and beyond. Rumsfeld’s namesake - a sobering coincidence - also spat the same gung-ho rhetoric. That Donald once ordered his uniformed forces to 'go out there' and 'dominate the environment', following civilian protests at extra-judicial killings of blacks by state police. Soon enough, leaving nothing to chance, that Donald II seized on the first opportunity to personally mobilize a mob to 'dominate' Capitol Hill, his own seat of government that was clearly slipping from his control.
“Optimists are free to underplay that threat to the much acclaimed democratic beacon. Study that scenario carefully however, and you find It is not a question of: it could never have succeeded. Such surmises are wrong, It COULD HAVE SUCCEEDED, albeit with unpredictable consequences for America and the world.
“And so when the elected head of a democratic state like Nigeria, not perched precariously on the knife edge of power but with a couple more years in the kitty, threatens to 'shock' dissidents, we should indeed be shocked out of any complacency. Even if History has been deliberately eliminated from the schools curriculum, Memory suffices to jerk us into a watchful, precautionary alert.
“I hold no brief for those who resort to burning down police stations, slaughter their occupants simply for the crime of earning a measly monthly pittance, torch electoral offices , assassinate politicians in calculated effort to set sections of the country against others in the promotion of their own political goals. These are largely nihilists, psychopaths and/or criminal lords, soul mates of Boko Haram, ISWAP, Da’esh and company, not to be confused with genuine liberators. All over the world, throughout history, elections are denounced, boycotted, and generally delegitimized without recourse to wanton butchery.
“When, however, a Head of State threatens to 'shock' civilian dissidents, to 'deal with them in the language they understand', and in a context that conveniently brackets opposition to governance with any bloodthirsting enemies of state, we have to call attention to the precedent language of such a national leader under even more provocative, nation disintegrative circumstances. What a pity, and what a tragic setting, to discover that this language was accessible all the time to President Buhari, where and when it truly mattered, when it would have been not only appropriate, but deserved and mandatory!
“When Benue was first massively brought under siege, with the massacre of innocent citizens, the destruction of farms, mass displacement followed by alien occupation, Buhari’s language – both as utterance and as what is known as 'body language' - was of a totally different temper. It was diffident, conciliatory, even apologetic. After much internal pressure, he eventually visited the scene of slaughter. His language? Learn to live peacefully with your neighbours. The expected language, rationally and legitimately applied to the aggressors, was exactly what we now hear – 'I shall shock you. I shall deal with you in the language you understand'. That language was missing at the moment that mattered most. It remained “missing in action” for years until a belated “Shoot at sight” outburst. Too late, and of course, inappropriately phrased.
“The precedent had been set, the genie let out of the bottle, consolidating a culture of impunity that predictably spread its bloody stain all over the nation. Buhari’s recent deployment of this language is thus wrongly targeted, and tragically untimely. Even while he was threatening dissidents, an agenda of both secessionism and alien occupation was taking place not too distant from Aso Rock. ISWAP was taking over the already excised territories of Shekau’s Boko Haram, appointing new warlords of the occupational forces, sectioning Nigeria into vassal states and unfurling their replacement flags of domination. Soon, logically, ISWAP’s letters of diplomatic accreditation will be presented in Aso Rock?
“We must however backtrack a little – that is the function of memory. It would be false to suggest that these eggs of impunity are newly laid. They have been incubating in loathsome hatcheries of power and domination for years, even decades, and now the raptors have been hatched and taken wings. The political culture of the devil’s bargain, of denial, evasion, avoidance of constitutional mandates, the culture of 'appeasement of the unappeasable' – to quote myself – in order to gratify the vested interests of a narrow, power obsessed elite has blossomed. Finally, the chickens have come home to roost.
“The evocation of the Civil War, where millions of civilians perished, is an unworthy emotive ploy that has run its course. In any case – and this has been voiced all too often, and loudly - the nation is already at war, and of a far more potentially devastating dimension than it has ever known. Every single occupant of this nation space called Nigeria has been declared potential casualty, children being pushed to the very battlefront, without a semblance of protective cover. We have betrayed the future. We need no breast beating about past wars. The world has moved on, so have nations. Some, however, prefer to move backwards. The continent is full of these atavists. In Nigeria, powerful cliques of this persuasion still roam the corridors of power We are indeed at war. It does not take the formal declaration of hostilities, with or without lethal bombardments, for a nation to find itself shell-shocked. The populace of this nation is already in that shell-shocked condition. So, what is there left to shock?
“It is time to think 'outside the box'. That many, in so doing, find no landing place except dissolution, is not a crime. It is not peculiar to any peoples, and is embedded in the ongoing history of many, and not only on this continent. It is their natural right as free citizens, not slaves of habit and indoctrination. Where disillusion rides high, sentiment tumbles earthwards, and the only question becomes: what can be salvaged? It thus remains the responsibility of leadership to persuade them, through both discourse and remedial action, that there are other options. Attempted bullying is not a language of discourse, nor the facile ploy of tarring all birds with the same feather.
I shall end on a personal note. It was not intended but, in view of breast thumping rhetoric by one president after the other over military sacrifice – undeniable, certainly – such recalls should be considered salutary. The heroic exploits of our military in confronting some of the deadliest internal forces of dehumanization deserve their place of honour, not only in history, but in contemporary consciousness.
“However, let not the military fail to take its place centrally in the nation’s ongoing, unavoidable soul searching. And so to an instructive intervention by this 'bloody civilian', in what should be an exclusionary portfolio of the keepers of a nation’s mandate for secure existence.”
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Nigerians on social media have called for the usage of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) following the suspension of the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, by the Nigerian Government.
VPN, according to kapersky.com, is a connection that allows users to establish a protected network connection when using public networks. It encrypts internet traffic and disguises the user's online identity. This makes it more difficult for third parties to track users' activities online and steal data.
Lai Mohammed
On Friday, Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement signed by his Special Assistant Segun Adeyemi citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
Nigerian tweeps have, however, shown their preparedness to make use of VPNs to allow for continued access to the platform, which many young Nigerians have considered vital to their connectivity to the outside world.
On Nigerian Twitter, VPN trends at number three as Twitter users keep listing VPNs that can be used.
Following are some of the best free VPNs for Android:
•NordVPN.
•ExpressVPN.
•IPVanish.
•ProtonVPN.
•TunnelBear.
•Hola Privacy VPN.
•Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection.
•CyberGhost.
— Champion of Europe 💙💙💙 (@Capeblu2) June 4, 2021
How to use a VPNs 1.Go to playstore, download any VPN of your choice. 2. Change your location to any other country of your choice eg. Germany. 3. Then click connect on your VPN and there you go. You can use Twitter Irrespective of the ban in Nigeria
— Angel Olori Danny🇳🇬🇱🇷 (@Angel_Ngoz) June 4, 2021
How to still be on Twitter even though it is suspended.
List of VPNs to download while FG Suspension of Twitter In Nigeria last:
Turning off Twitter in Nigeria is like when they turned off the light at #lekkitollgate VPNs are like the small phone lights people turned on. Use your tongue to count your teeth.
It's now time this government learn from the people, u can stop anyone from access twitter, VPNs are there, to bypass it🖕FG pic.twitter.com/y0v3OUEQt6
How to use a VPNs 1.Go to playstore, download any VPN of your choice. 2. Change your location to any other country of your choice eg. Germany. 3. Then click connect on your VPN and there you go. You can use Twitter Irrespective of the ban in Nigeria
— Angel Olori Danny🇳🇬🇱🇷 (@Angel_Ngoz) June 4, 2021
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The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to fix the salaries and allowances of the 469 members of the National Assembly– 109 in the Senate and 360 in the House of Representatives to reflect the economic realities in the country.
Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor in her judgment on Friday also ruled that the National Assembly Service Commission has no power to determine the remuneration and allowances of the lawmakers.
The judgment followed the consolidated suits brought by Monday Ubani, John Nwokwu, more than 1,500 concerned Nigerians, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE).
According to Justice Obiozor, RMAFC is the only body responsible for determining the salaries, remuneration and/or allowances of the National Assembly or Political Offices Holders.
“The National Assembly Service Commission has no power whatsoever to fix and determine or allocate the remuneration, allowances, salaries, emoluments or monetary values to the members of the National Assembly,” the court said.
The suit was filed on the heels of reports that members of the National Assembly receive running costs and allowances not determined by RMAFC and that such allowances are illegal because they are far above what the RMAFC prescribed.
A former Senator, Shehu Sani had in an interview with newsmen on the 8th of March 2018 revealed that “each senator receives N13.5 million Monthly as running cost in addition to over N750,000.00 monthly consolidated salary and allowances”.
The Plaintiffs in their consolidated suits stated: “RMAFC has failed to do any downward review of salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly since 2007 in spite of the economic downturn in Nigeria. Yet, the commission is statutorily required to review the pay of the lawmakers, in conformity with the country’s economic realities and to achieve fiscal efficiency.”
The suits, read in part: “Given many years of extreme poverty in the country, and the inability of several state governments to pay salaries of workers and pensions, the refusal or failure of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to review and cut the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly is a gross violation of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and the commission’s own Act.
“The allowances of wardrobe, newspapers, kitchen traveling domestic and constituency project allowances of the members of the National Assembly are never contemplated or in the intendment of the constitution which created them and specified how they can be remunerated.
“The duty of the RMAFC to review the salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly is mandatory and the Commission cannot choose not to comply. Therefore, the failure or refusal by the Commission to comply with its own Act amounts to arbitrariness.
“Unless the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs are granted, the defendants and members of the National Assembly will continue to benefit from these outrageous salaries and allowances, in breach of the law and at the expense of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty.
“The amounts budgeted as payment for furniture and accommodation allowance to members of the 9th National Assembly negates the oath of office under the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution by members to perform their functions in the interest of the well-being and prosperity of Nigeria.
“The National Assembly comprises of 469 members – with 109 in the Senate and 360 in the House of Representatives. These public officers form a very tiny percentage of about 200 million Nigerians. Members are still eligible to collect huge sums of money as monthly allowances and severance pay at the end of their respective terms.”
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The Nigerian Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement signed by his Special Assistant Segun Adeyemi citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
President Muhammadu Buhari
The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
The development comes after Twitter deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet where he threatened to treat Nigerians “misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.
Buhari had in a tweet on Tuesday stated that his government will get “harder” on those hell-bent on destroying the country.
He said those wanting to destroy his government will receive the shock of their lives as his administration will do everything possible to ensure they fail.
The president said the sponsors and orchestrators of insecurity in the country are doing so because they want his administration to fail.
His tweet had read, ”I receive daily security reports on the attacks on critical national infrastructure, and it is very clear that those behind them want this administration to fail. Whoever wants the destruction of the system will soon have the shock of their lives. We’ve given them enough time.
“I received a briefing today from the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the series of attacks on their facilities nationwide. These attacks are totally unacceptable, and we will not allow those behind them to achieve their evil objectives.
"I receive daily security reports on the attacks on critical national infrastructure, and it is very clear that those behind them want this administration to fail. Whoever wants the destruction of the system will soon have the shock of their lives. We’ve given them enough time.
“I have assured INEC that we will make available to them everything they need to operate efficiently, so that no one will say we don’t want to go, or that we want a third term. There will be no excuse for failure. We will meet all of INEC’s demands.
“In the area of security, we have changed the Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General, and we are demanding that they rise fully to the challenges confronting us. There must be zero tolerance for all those bent on destroying our country by promoting crime and insurrection!
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
Many reminded Buhari of the consequences of the Nigerian Civil War which lasted from 1967 to 1970, stating that such must not be repeated.
Over 3 million Nigerians, mostly Igbo people, died during the war. Millions of people, especially children also starved to death.
Social media users likened President’s statement to that of the former United States President Donald Trump which earned the latter a permanent suspension.
Trump's Twitter account was "permanently suspended... due to the risk of further incitement of violence," Twitter had said.
Twitter said the decision was made "after close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account".
Trump was locked out of his account for 12 hours after he called the people who stormed the US Capitol "patriots".
Hundreds of his supporters entered the complex as the US Congress attempted to certify Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. The ensuing violence led to the deaths of four civilians and a police officer.
Twitter warned then that it would ban Trump "permanently" if he breached the platform's rules again. Trump posted two tweets further that the company cited as the final straws.
Following widespread condemnation of the tweet, Twitter deleted the message on Wednesday.
The platform said the message by the Nigerian President violated its rules.
A few days after the Kwara State Government begged private individuals for drugs to stock its medical facilities before its two years' anniversary, the Ilorin West Local Government Area has followed suit.
The Chairman appointed by Governor Abdulraham Abdulrazaq to oversee the LGA began his version of begging by drafting a letter with account number to solicit funds from the public.
The council is asking for money from private individuals on behalf of the government to execute some public projects already budgeted for.
In a letter dated June 3, 2021, titled "Request for Financial Assistance to Execute Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) project for Ilorin West Local Government" and obtained by SaharaReporters, the council is requesting N250,000 from private individuals across the state.
The letter was signed by Prof Muhammed A Siddiq, who is the chairman, Finance Committee on behalf of the council Chairman.
A source told SaharaReporters that the council chairman "was so insensitive to send letters, not only to the All Progressives Congress bigwigs but also to some notable Peoples Democratic Party members, requesting for N250,000 from each of them."
The letter partly reads, "I write on behalf of the Honourable Chairman, Alhaji Muktar Tosho, and the entire people of the local government to request for financial assistance from you. The fund raised will be utilised by a 13-member committee towards ensuring and facilitating a successful Enumeration Area Demarcation exercise for the local government.
"The exercise is politically and economically important and cannot be overemphasised as a tool in bargaining for political power at all levels of governance."
The committee's account number, which belongs to one Alhaji Aluko Aliyu Amasa, was provided in the letter.
"This is what governance has been reduced to under Abdulrazaq Government in Kwara. Since 1999, we have not heard of the government begging for funds from citizens to execute projects of the state despite the huge allocations voted to each local government.
"Recall that a report was released this morning on financial misappropriation taking place in the 16 local government areas of the state by people appointed to oversee the councils," another top source, who got the letter, stated.
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Delta state deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro, youth and community leaders from various ethnic nationalities of Niger Delta region on Thursday slammed the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio over what they termed 'refusal by President Muhammadu Buhari and the minister, Akpabio to constitute a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Following the 7-day ultimatum on NDDC board reconstitution, issued last Sunday by ex- militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo to the Nigerian government, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio hurriedly embarked on a trip to the hometown of the ex-militant leader, Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, to hold talks with stakeholders.
Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio
Speaking on behalf of the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa during the stakeholders meeting at the palace of the King of Gbaramatu kingdom, the state governor Deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro, reiterated the position of state government which is constitution of a substantive board for the commission is in accordance with the Act establishing the NDDC.
Otuaro noted that "the country is in serious tumour as a result of failed leadership. The discussion on the streets by our people is that, has our brother, the uncommon transformation agenda governor also joined the bandwagon of failed leadership.
"This has been the questions in the public domain. Because we can not explain an institution like the NDDC that is a product of an act is been run in flagrant abuse. The voice of the people must be listened to; we want a substantive board in NDDC as soon as possible. We don't want anything untoward in this region. We want the right thing to be done. As the representative of the governor of Delta state, Dr. Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, we don't want a repeat of what happened in the region in 2016."
Also expressing its sadness and disappointment towards the attitude of the Minister, the President of Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), Amos Ogbokor-Etaluku, told the Minister that the Isoko nation aligned her with the 7-day ultimatum issued by the ex-militant leader.
He said failure to adhere to the demands of the people, the Minister should be ready to dance to the aftermath music.
On his part, the President, Ijaw National Congress (INC), Benjamin Okaba, expressed dismay that Akpabio was running NDDC with a sole administrator in contravention of the Act that established the commission.
Spokesman for Gbaramatu Traditional Council, Godspower Gbenekeme, told Akpabio in clear terms that “the people seated here are not IYC executives that you can just call to Abuja, the presence of soldiers in our region is not the reason for peace, it is because of our resolve. We want that board to be constituted; the ultimatum stands, after the ultimatum and nothing is done, don’t blame anybody."
Addressing the stakeholders meeting earlier, Akpabio advised the people of the region against anything that could possibly ignite war and tension in the area.
"The youths must give peace a chance and going by the fragile nature of the Niger Delta region, it is only someone who has not seen a war that would be talking of war.
"When others are having their issues and they want to take it on the federal government, we are saying this region should not join them. I am saying this because the last time, a lot of their young ones were killed. As a young man I saw where mothers threw their kids in the pit toilet so that soldiers would not find them with the cry of the baby.
"I saw people slept in the open field of primary schools. I saw where somebody will be walking on the road and the next thing you hear is ‘gbo’ and you see blood gushing out and he doesn’t even know he has been shot so we must not allow our region to boil, we must support the federal government, particularly this present government. My visit is primarily to consult the people on the way forward and also to appeal for peace.", Akpabio said.
SaharaReporters reliably gathered that ex-militant, Tompolo, who refused to meet with the Minister, sent a message warning him to return to Abuja and inaugurate the NDDC board without further delay.
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News Buhari's Regime Announced Suspension Of Twitter On Same Platform— Nigerians Mock Nigerian Government 0 Comments 4 Hours Ago
