We were simply obeying the govt by blocking Twitter – Telcos

The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), an industry group, Saturday said that its members blocked access to Twitter following directives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator.

The President of ALTON, Mr Gbenga Adebayo made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, on Saturday in which he said that the group, however, endorsed the United Nation’s position on the right of individuals to hold and share communication unhindered.

He, however, said that the operators acted upon the national interest as defined by the NCC and the act even as it said it supported the rights of people.

NAN recalled that the action may not be unconnected with Friday’s indefinite suspension of Twitter’s operations, two days after the social media giant deleted a tweet from President Buhari’s account.

Adebayo noted that the association wished to confirm that its  members had received formal instructions from  NCC, the industry regulator, to suspend access to Twitter.

“ALTON has also conducted a robust assessment of the request in accordance with internationally accepted principles.

“Based on national interest provisions in the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and within the licence terms under which the industry operates;  our members have acted in compliance with the directives of NCC.

“We will continue to engage all  relevant authorities and stakeholders and will act as may be further directed by the NCC, ” Adebayo said.

He said the association remained committed to supporting the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and upholding  the rights of citizens.

As an industry, ALTON endorsed the position of the United Nations that the rights held by people offline must also be protected online, Adebayo’s statement said.

He noted that this included respecting and protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications.

▪︎ Report by NAN