Following the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, the Commonwealth has placed the country on its watchlist.
The body said it is monitoring developments in Nigeria over concerns raised by the country’s citizens such as repression of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, media gag and disregard for the rule of law.
Earlier, SERAP had urged the Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, to “apply the Commonwealth Charter to hold the Nigerian government to account over the unlawful suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, and the resulting repression of freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom.
This was confirmed in a letter signed by the Commonwealth’s Officer in Charge Governance and Peace Directorate, Roger Koranteng.
The letter read, “The Commonwealth Secretary-General has been following the developments in Nigeria very closely and she is engaging the relevant stakeholders.
“All Commonwealth member countries have committed themselves to upholding freedom of expression as one of the core values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter, which underscores a commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights covenants and international instruments.
“Please be assured that the Secretariat will remain engaged with the authorities in Nigeria and encourage a speedy resolution of this matter.”
The Nigerian government, on June 4, 2021, ordered all internet service providers to suspend access to Twitter.
The directive was sequel to the deletion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet, which according to Twitter violated the rules.
The Federal Government also threatened to prosecute citizens and broadcast stations who continue to tweet.
