House of Reps supports Twitter ban, voted against reversing it

The House of Representatives has rejected a motion requesting the federal government to lift the suspension on Twitter, as a result of its negative economic impact on Nigerians, who depend on it for their livelihood.

The lawmakers took the decision at the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, while considering the report of its joint Committee that investigated the suspension of the micro-blogging site by the federal government.

The deputy minority leader, Toby Okechukwu, during consideration of the report, had proposed that the Federal Government should take cognizance of the negative effect of the Twitter suspension on Nigerians who earn their living from the platform and lift the suspension.

However, when the deputy speaker, Idris Wase, who chaired the committee, put the question, majority of members voted against the proposal.