Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, has condemned the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria by the federal government.
This is as it also berated the government over the directive to arrest and prosecute Nigerians who use Twitter after the ban.
The action, the group said, undermined free speech and democratic rights in Nigeria.
It added that the ban would also negatively affect small businesses and jobs that depended on Twitter to transact business and for jobs.
“We observe the dangerous degeneration of the Buhari-led government into a full-blown Police State reminiscent of a dictatorial military regime. The Buhari-led government has repeatedly harassed and attacked activists, journalists, media houses etc. Most Nigerians are under economic, social and political siege! Activists have been arrested, detained and attacked for protesting unfair and anti-people policies. We witnessed how the Buhari regime and the military brutally attacked and suppressed the ENDSARS protest leaving deaths, sorrows and blood.
“These attacks are the typical Buhari regime’s responses to agitation against its anti-people policies and obvious failure to resolve any of the problems bedevilling the country including insecurity, the rising cost of living, ailing economy, factory closures amid rise in exchange rate, mass job losses, lack of basic infrastructure and nationality question. Buhari regime’s agenda is to hold the working people down in subjugation and slavery to allow a few privileged self-serving bourgeois elite to continue the loot and exploitation unchallenged,” CDWR said.
The group demanded the reinstatement of Twitter and respect for freedom of speech and democratic rights.
“We also demand an end to all forms of attacks currently going on including the release of all detained activists and protesters and compensation to all victims of brutality of the Police/Military,” the group said.
It said, in the same vein, it was also critical of big media including the big tech which were in the hands of tiny oligarchy, business moguls and the capitalist state across the world.
It said they were as well used to undermine the interest of the working masses and the poor.
“So, CDWR calls for democratic control of the big media by the working people. This will make it possible for the media to serve the interest of all,” the group said.
It added: “We call on Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to end their strategic alliance with the self-serving capitalist ruling elite and government and mobilise the working people and the poor against all anti-poor policies, attacks on democratic rights and failure over the insecurity by the Buhari government.”
