The lawmakers took the decision while considering the report of its joint Committee that investigated the suspension of the micro-blogging site by the Federal Government.

The Nigerian Government had suspended the operation of Twitter in the country after the platform deleted one of President Buhari’s tweets. Minister of Information Lai Mohammed later said the company allows content capable of threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.

The House of Reps had thereafter, mandated its Committees on Information, ICT, Intelligence, Justice and Orientation to investigate the circumstances of the suspension by the Federal Government.

Considering the report on Thursday, Toby Okechukwu, the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, suggested an amendment to one of the recommendations.

The recommendation asked that “the Federal Government take into cognizance the negative effect of the Twitter suspension on Nigerians who depend on the platform for their livelihood” and lift the suspension.

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

The post National Assembly Reject Lifting Of Twitter Ban appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.

Last month, Nigeria announced that it is suspending Twitter’s operation in the country after the company deleted one of president Buhari’s tweets for threatening violence against secessionists in the country’s southeast. Since then, many people have turned to VPN use to make it look like they are accessing Twitter from outside Nigeria.

Even the country’s Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, mistakenly revealed himself using VPN to access Twitter after the ‘indefinite suspension’.

But some people are beginning to wonder if the many VPNs available online – some of which are free – is safe for them to use.

Nigeria’s minister of information and culture Lai Mohammed, who proposed and announced the suspension, even gave face to this fear recently.

“My advice to anybody using VPN is to stop it because when you use VPN, it exposes your data, including your bank account,” the minister told a senatorial committee which is deliberating why the suspension isnecessary.

So, is there any truth to what Mr Mohammed is claiming?

Can VPN access my bank accounts?

A computer and communication expert, engineer Adebisi Akinsulire told the BBC “No, it is not possible”. At least not the way the minister puts it.

According to Akinsulire – who himself has installed a VPN before the ban – all information over a VPN are encrypted. That is, it requires lots of expertise and is almost impossible for anyone to have unauthorized access to other people’s information.

And so for VPN or even any app, to steal information from your bank account, it means you must have downloaded a fake app that resembles the correct one. Or, you accessed a website you are not supposed to.

“So for example, you connected to a free public WiFi to access your bank details, that can put your data at risk.

What can you do to protect yourself online?

• Don’t download any app from websites that are not authorized by the operating system you are using
• Don’t visit websites that are not secured
• Do your research about the software or apps you want to download to see their reputations
• If you can afford it, pay for software or apps you need because free apps sometimes come with viruses.
• Follow all the general guidelines from your Bank to protect your account
• Remember, most software companies that are known have their reputations to protect and so you should always download from known and reputable sources.

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