Of Ban And Bants – Josh Journal
When Twitter announced that their African headquarters was going to be in Ghana, a lot of people were surprised. When they announced their reasons, some people stubbornly insisted they were mistaken.
Who would have thought that just over a month later, the Nigerian government would prove that choice to be right by announcing a ban?
All of these started when President Muhammadu Buhari threatened to revisit the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria with whatever leftover vengeance he has from the Nigerian-Biafran war.
Either through their own monitoring activities or due to mass flagging and reporting, Twitter took down the tweet.
This act incensed the Muhammadu Buhari led government more than any kidnapping, murder, looting, and atrocities carried out by different militia groups of Northern extraction.
Soon enough, Minister for Information, Lai Mohammed was on TV, announcing Twitter’s activities in Nigeria to be “suspect“.
Before we could say, “Jack Robinson” or whatever the APC-led government says behind closed doors, a ban on Twitter’s operation was announced.
The most “facepalmable” aspect of this announcement was that the ban was announced on Twitter.
Not that it was posted on a website then the link was tweeted.
No. They actually created a thread of the ban announcement. On Twitter. Without thinking, “Is this actually a smart move?” Probably without thinking at all.
Soon enough, different people in the government had come on Twitter to justify the ban. On Twitter. Without thinking that they just might be prodding the bear. Or in this case, the bird.
Once again, probably without thinking at all.
As much as I don’t want to, I can’t help spotting similarities between Donald Trump’s suspension and Buhari’s tweet removal.
For all we want to agree or deny, both sets of tweets were rooted in hatred and could have been inciteful.
Apparently, being inciteful is subject to interpretation. Thankfully though, no APC or Buhari supporter can ask for a precedent for Twitter deleting a world leader’s tweet or kicking one off their platform.
If Trump had walked scot-free, all we’ll be hearing now is, “will they try this with their own president? They are racist. They don’t like us.”
Turns out they have tried it with their president. And he has faced the full extent of their powers too.
And if a “racist” somehow stop a repeat massacre, I’ll have to applaud him at that time.
Seriously though, the ban should have been announced on the radio, or better still by carrier pigeons.
At the very least, they could have posted it on Facebook instead. Nairaland would have been a patriotic choice too. But definitely not that cow app.
Announcing a ban of Twitter on Twitter is like going to someone’s house to insult them. And the someone is an MMA fighter.
At the very least, you should wear a protective helmet before going in.
By the way, Facebook eventually took down the government’s post that started this covfefe.
And what is stopping Twitter from taking down the tweet announcing their ban? I would have gone as far as banning a couple of government and government officials’ accounts while at it.
Maybe they are not 50 Cent and Nicki Minaj level petty.
Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator, and Creative Writer.
You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. @IJOSWIL
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