Twitter: CNPP urges FG to thread carefully on Social Media ban, blames NASS

By Musa Baba Adamu

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the federal government to “thread carefully on its clandestine effort gag the social media voices in Nigeria.”
The CNPP in a statement signed by the Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, blamed the National Assembly for “allowing the President and members of the federal executive to continue to take actions that are detrimental to the wellbeing of the ordinary citizens and the young people in the country.
“The National Assembly has not only continued to be a rubber-stamp legislative chambers but also an arm of the executive, and has willing surrendered its oversight functions. Unfortunately, they have slept on its constitutional powers to check the excesses of the executive.
“Today, rather than help the intermittently recessing economy and reduce unemployment in the country, which is the root cause of youth restiveness in the Nigeria, the federal government claims that national interest supersedes economic interest. Is economic interest not part of our national interest?
“The deleted President’s tweet that ignited the suspension of Twitter was part of the reasons we have severally called for the sack of key President’s information handlers, particularly Lai Mohammed and Garba Shehu who have continued to cause more harm to the President’s image than making it.
“The reasons adduced for the suspension or ban of Twitter have remained laughable as the federal government failed to exhaust other channels of communication. The action of the Federal Government amounts to killing an ant with the slag harmer.
“We are shocked that the action of the federal government has now worsened the employment deficiency in the country, according to media reports, yet the government is shopping for more unjustifiable reasons for her poorly thought out action.
“The CNPP calls on the federal government of Nigeria to exercise restraints in dealing with issues that affect the youths and those actions that could directly or indirectly widen the unemployment gaps in the country as the idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop”, the statement read.