Nigerian TV, Radio Stations, Others Can No Longer Tweet Or Patronise Twitter
Nigerian TV, Radio stations, others can no longer tweet or patronise Twitter
Nigeria’s broadcast regulator, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has ordered all broadcasting stations to remove their Twitter handles. In addition, the body further prohibits media outlets from using User Generated Content (UGC) as sources in their reports.
The statement urges for rigorous compliance citing paragraphs from the NBC Act and The Broadcasting Code that reference to media organizations having an obligation to respect to national laws and be mindful of content capable of inciting violence or civil unrest.
Although not outrightly stated, defaulters could be penalised based on the federation’s Attorney General, Abubakar Malami’s directive to prosecute any Nigerian still using the microblogging network.
The new ruling stemming from the ongoing Twitter suspension in the country since Friday, June 4, 2021, is a manner of disincentivising people and business organisations from patronising Twitter.
If anything, this appears to be a hard era for firms largely dependent on the social media platform.
While the statement does not clearly state what media platforms are affected by the directive, the NBC Act defines broadcasting stations as entities — like radio, sound, television, cable, or satellite stations — that have received a broadcasting licence after satisfying the regulator’s requirements. From the definition, it is not obvious if new media businesses are likewise trapped in this web.
NBC Recent Relationship with Broadcasters in Nigeria
This is not the first time the NBC is clamping down on broadcasters in the country.
Recall, during the October 2020 #EndSARS demonstration, NBC suspended three media businesses on the grounds of utilizing UGC as their sources while accusing them of disinformation and publishing content that could encourage unrest.
In a recent essay, we demonstrated the function that UGC has played in the past in Nigeria while wondering why it should be outlawed due of the October 20, 2020 Lekki Tollgate Massacre.
Following the Twitter suspension order, some digital platforms have withdrawn themselves from hearing consumer complaints via their Twitter handles, asking consumers to reach out through alternative methods; others have put up disclaimer articles indicating where they are tweeting from.
For one, recent events have pointed to the increasing drive of the federal government to suppress free speech, one of the numerous signals that the country may gradually be borrowing China’s cards.
As Twitter users in Nigeria find alternatives to access the site either through VPN and other routes, it has to be seen how this will ultimately influence journalism, freedom of speech, and timely dissemination of information in the country.
If anything, Nigeria has finally joined the list of countries losing millions of dollars to government-led Internet crackdowns annually. According to the NetBlocks Cost of Shutdown Tool (COST), the country may have lost up to $18 million (~₦6.5 billion) having maintained up the order for approximately 36 hours.
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