Thank God for VPN: Nigerians React as Telcos Finally Block Access to Twitter

- Following the indefinite suspension of Twitter by the Buhari-led administration, some Nigerians woke up and realised the app had stopped working

- From all indications, telecommunications companies in the country have started blocking access to Twitter

- Gbenga Adebayo, the chairman of a telcos association, ALTON, said they got a memo from the NCC and are complying with the directive

- Some Nigerians are not bothered and have found a way around the hurdle as they have resorted to using VPN

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It appears telecommunications companies have started complying with a directive from the Nigerian government to block access to Twitter.

According to the telcos, they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to Twitter in the country, The Nation reports.

This followed an announcement by the federal government on Friday, June 4, that the activities of social media platform have been suspended indefinitely.

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Acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the telcos said a robust assessment of the request was conducted according to international best practices.

The association in a statement by its chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said it remained committed to supporting the Nigerian government and upholding the rights of citizens, The Guardian reports.

Checks have confirmed that telcos including MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile have started blocking access to Twitter.

Thank God for VPN

Nigerians woke up on Saturday, June 5, encountering difficulty accessing their Twitter accounts. Some others have however resorted to using virtual private networks.

This group of people are now expressing their gratitude for the "gift of VPN". Legit.ng gathered some of the reactions below:

Obasipee with the handle @obasipee commented:

"I just woke up this morning, I noticed my tweets can't go, I sharply on my VPN.. finally I Twitting live from Atlanta... Thank God For VPN."

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Benkingsley Nwashara @Benking452 tweeted:

"Buhari has shut down Twitter in Nigeria but somehow we managed to manoeuvre through VPN. This Coconut head generation will not kee person. Thank God for VPN."

@TWEETORACLE commented

"Thank God for VPN, you can be browsing In Nigeria yet using the IP address of USA.

"This #TwitterBan is a joke cos Nigerians won't stop using their voice. It's our fundamental right as citizens. The FG can't even change that."

Travel to Cotonou and Tweet

A former Nigerian senator, Shehu Sani, has joined the list of Nigerians who have reacted to the suspension of Twitter's operations in the country.

He suggested that some Nigerians could travel to other countries bordering Nigeria to use their Twitter accounts.

The activist, who seemed to be making fun of the situation, stated that residents in Lagos could travel to Cotonou, a city on the south coast of Benin to tweet.

Source: Legit.ng