Is Nigerias Twitter Ban a National Sovereignty or Anti-Democratic Move?
By Andrew Korybko  Global Research, June 14, 2021  All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch. ***  Observers are divided over whether Nigerias decision to ban Twitter in response to the platform deleting a controversial tweet by President Buhari directed against southeastern separatists is a principled move in support of national sovereignty or an anti-democratic one aimed at stifling growing dissent. Africas most populous nation of Nigeria recently banned Twitter in response to the platform deleting a controversial tweet by President Buhari directed against southeastern separatists. He threatened to treat them in the language they understand, which was interpreted by the company as abusive behavior and thus a violation of its community standards. The background context is complex but an admittedly oversimplified explanation is that the oil-rich southeastern region is once again experiencing a rise in separatist sentiment led by the so-called Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB). This is attributed to a confluence of factors including seemingly growing economic inequality there and increased displeasure with the perception of northern Muslims wielding disproportionate influence over this majority-Christian region. The modern-day nation of Nigeria has always been roughly divided between the Muslim North and Christian South since its colonial-era unification under the British. This fault line is responsible for a myriad of Hybrid War threats that were elaborated upon by the author in his detailed strategic risk study on the country back in early 2017. Just like Africas second most populous nation of Ethiopia on the other side of the continent which is presently suffering from a revival of separatist violence, so too does Nigeria seem destined to fall back into this historical pattern as well. Cosmopolitan countries such as these, especially ones with such massive population sizes, usually find it very difficult to maintain national unity for prolonged periods of time. These preexisting tensions are also sometimes exploited by foreign forces, but its unclear if thats the case with both right now. The point to pay attention to though is that Nigerians are becoming increasingly confident with publicly expressing their dissent against the status quo, be it through last falls regrettably chaotic protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that some blame on provocateurs and/or the state itself or the spate of separatist violence thats been observed in the southeast. This is simply an observation and no value judgment is being made about either of these movements or the many others that are popping up across the country. On top of that, Nigeria is still struggling with its campaign against Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast and also fears the creation of a black hole of instability along its border with Cameroon in the event that so-called Ambazonian separatists there join forces with the neighboring Biafran ones. Absent a radical political solution which seems extremely unlikely due to the states unwillingness to compromise on issues that it regards as integral to its national security, its very possible that the situation might eventually spiral out of control, including through the worst-case scenario of a more robust crackdown on the southeast that could raise fears of rekindling the bloody civil war of 1967-1970 that killed an estimated several million people. Against this backdrop, its somewhat understandable why President Buhari would talk tough on Twitter against IPOB, but the potential consequences of the darker scenarios that he might be implying also explain why Twitter decided to delete his tweet. At the same time, though, both of their responses can also be constructively criticized. President Buharis controversial tweet could have been interpreted as a dog whistle by some nationalist forces to carry out attacks against some of the people from the southeast, while Twitters hypocritical claim that access to its platform is a so-called essential human right in modern society is debunked by its banning of Trump and many others (mostly his supporters) for purely political reasons. Observers can also rightly argue that Twitters deletion of President Buharis tweet represents a form of Western meddling in the countrys affairs, which explains why his decision to indefinitely ban Twitter is a principled one. Nevertheless, its also likely that he plans to exploit this opportunity to stifle growing dissent seeing as how that platform is increasingly used to organize protests and perhaps even militant/terrorist actions against the state. Its therefore inaccurate to describe his move as being either a completely principled one in support of national sovereignty or an anti-democratic one since it compellingly incorporates both elements. Its within Nigerias sovereign rights to ban Twitter, with or without the companys provocation against its President, but that doesnt mean that ulterior motives related to stifling rising dissent arent also served by this measure. Twitter was clearly meddling in Nigerias domestic affairs, which created the perfect pretext for the country to opportunistically exploit for other ends. Its unclear exactly how long the ban will remain in effect, but its obvious that it serves immediate security needs related to the states attempt to regain control of the countrys socio-political dynamics that have been slipping from its grasp. *  Note to readers: Please click the share buttons above or below. Follow us on Instagram, @crg_globalresearch. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. This article was originally published on OneWorld. Andrew Korybko is an American Moscow-based political analyst specializing in the relationship between the US strategy in Afro-Eurasia, Chinas One Belt One Road global vision of New Silk Road connectivity, and Hybrid Warfare. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Featured image is from OneWorld  Related Articles  14 May 2019  2 June 2021  1 April 2015The original source of this article is Global ResearchCopyright  Andrew Korybko, Global Research, 2021  https://www.globalresearch.ca/nigeria-twitter-ban-national-sovereignty-anti-democratic-move/5747595