Veteran Nollywood actor and movie producer, Yemi Solade, has thrown his support behind the Presidency on the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.
Speaking during a recent interview with GoldmyneTV, the 61-year-old actor said that the microblogging platform had crossed the line after deleting President Muhammadu Buhari’s posts on its platform. According to Solade, the action of Twitter is an insult to the Nigerian president and the nation at large.
He said, “This is not the first time Twitter will try to humiliate Nigeria. It happened to Pastor Chris Oyakilhome some years back. I think the white supremacist and imperialist tendencies should be curbed sometimes.
“As much as I am of the opinion that everybody has a right to expression and thoughts, but when a platform is used to want to ferment trouble and project anarchy, there should be rules regulating such practices. In this case, a lot happens on Twitter.
“I am not really a Twitter fan; I do little on Twitter. I would want to align with that school of thought that says Twitter was not really helping. Nigeria has so many problems to contend with and Twitter was not really helping the country.”
Solade insists that numerous posts on Twitter are negative, especially those directed at the government of Nigeria. The actor, however, admits that suspension of the microblogging platform from operation in Nigeria trampled on the fundamental human rights of Nigerians because most business people would miss the platform.
Solade added: “I want to think in the larger space, it really trampled on the fundamental human rights of Nigerians. Because the President or the Presidency is aggrieved with Twitter, it does not mean that over 190 million Nigerians should queue behind the President,”
He continued, “I support my President this time around though. I am not trying to double speak, but I think it is a two-way thing. The best the Presidency could do has been done for now. We don’t know how long, but we hope the issue will be resolved and Twitter will begin to function in Nigeria.”
