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Telecommunications companies in Nigeria including MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9Mobile, have started blocking access to the microblogging site, Twitter, THE WHISPERER has learnt. The telcos said they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to Twitter in the country following the suspension by the Federal Government on Friday. The Nigerian Twitterati woke up on Saturday encountering difficulty in accessing their Twitter handles while some navigated the hurdle using virtual private networks. Mobile network operators in the country under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, however, made it clear that they have started…

The Nigerian Bar Association has threatened to challenge in court, the decision of the Federal Government to suspend the operations of microblogging site Twitter in the country. NBA President, Olumide Akpata, who made this known in a statement on Friday night, described the government’s decision as illegal. THE WHISPERER had earlier reported that Twitter deleted a post by the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday. Consequently, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension of Twitter today, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”. However, checks by our…

Facebook has deleted an “unpresidential post” by President Muhammadu Buhari who threatened genocide against the Igbos. Although it is unclear the exact time the post was removed, the development follows outrage by Nigerians after the offensive post by Buhari. The president, in a post also shared on Twitter, vowed that “those misbehaving” would “soon have the shock of their lives,” while referencing his role during the 1967 Biafra war where over a million people were gruesomely killed. “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian…

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has announced the sack of all Special Advisers (SAs) and Senior Special Assistant (SSAs) in his cabinet. The development was made public by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Prints, Modestus Nwamkpa through social media. Recall that the governor had earlier given the marching order to his twenty commissioners, sparing eight including the commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba. It was reported that the sacked commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget Implementation, Dr. C. C. Osuala has been reappointed earlier today. Meanwhile, our correspondent learned that new appointees shall be made…

The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence. The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria. Segun Adeyemi Special Assistant To The President (Media) Office of the Minister of Information and Culture…

A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, says Nigeria has already broken up spiritually and if some drastic actions are not taken, the physical manifestation of the break up will soon become evident. Mailafia, who stressed that he believes in one indivisible Nigeria, spoke on Friday while featuring on a PUNCH Live interview programme. The Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the last election also said there was no contest in the fact that Nigeria has been a failed state for over five years. There have been agitations in Southern Nigeria with…

A soldier attached to 243 Recce Battalion Ibereko, Badagry, Mahmud Sulaiman, turned the gun on himself after he shot dead a customs officer at Seme border on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the incident occurred when the team leader was trying to retrieve the gun from Mr Sulaiman following his strange behavior. “In the process of retrieving the cocked weapon from him, which he resisted, he accidentally fired a shot and the stray bullet hit one Inspector of Custom, C.N Walter. “The customs officer, who was attached to Seme Border Area Command, was rushed to Badagry…

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami has claimed that the policy compelling Nigerians to obtain a National Identification Number by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has substantially reduced incidents of banditry and kidnapping. Pantami made the claim, in Abuja, on Thursday, while rendering account of his stewardship since assuming office, in 2019. He said, “When I was assigned to supervise the sector on 24, August 2019, unregistered, and partial registered sims were being used to perpetrate crime in the country. Nobody knew the total number of unregistered sims. “Within less than…

Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River, has accused foreign countries of supporting agitators for secession. There have been calls in the southeast and southwest parts of Nigeria for secession. Speaking to journalists after he visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa on Thursday, the governor called for combined efforts to tackle insecurity. He also noted that some foreign countries target nations with natural resources, and support secessionist agitations because they want to boost their gun trade. He, however, did not name any country. “The country is snowballing into a civil strife. We need to come together and support Mr.…

A video of President Muhammadu Buhari, wherein he threatened to deal with youths of the South-East has been taken off by the social media app. The video has been deemed genocidal. The video was initially posted on the official handle of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, @NGRPresident, where Mr Buhari warned that ‘rude shock’ awaits unpatriotic elements promoting insurrection and burning critical national assets across the country. In the video, Mr Buhari noted the role he played alongside other Nigerian military officers in the Nigerian Civil War of 1966-70, which led to the murder of over three…