Remember that during the #EndSARS demonstration against authorities brutality and bad governance that happened in Nigeria in October 2020, the Canadian government condemned the actions required to quell it.

Tweeting through @CanadaFP, it said, “Canada is deeply worried about the extreme use of force during the ongoing protests in #Nigeria. Those accountable for #HumanRights offenses and abuse must be held liable.”

Comparing the #EndSARS demonstration to the truckers demonstration in Canada, Mohammed implicated Twitter and the West of double standards in the method they view the violent protesters in their area and those in Nigeria.

In a news instruction on Sunday, the Minister said “the Canadian protesters, who have actually blockaded roadways and turned to inconveniencing others, have actually been branded as terrorists or insurrectionists and subjected to a variety of clampdowns by government and personal organisations.”

He kept in mind that the crowdfunding business GoFundMe has closed down the project to raise funds for the truckers, after they raised over $10 million, adding that Twitter has actually suspended the truckers account while the Ontario government has actually frozen access to countless dollars contributed through online fundraising platform GiveSendGo to the protesters.

“Jim Watson, the Mayor of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, has also declared a state of emergency in the city in reaction, saying the demonstrations presented a hazard to locals’ security,” Mohammed said.

He continued, “Recall, gentlemen, that during the EndSARS protest, which culminated in the clog of public roads and enormous damage of federal government and private property, Canada was one of the countries that spoke up in support of the protesters.

“Recall also that Twitter actively supported the EndSars protesters and even helped them to raise fund while GoFundMe was utilized to raise funds for the protests.”

According to Mohammed, these are the same entities “that are now hurrying to distance themselves from the protesters in Canada and even rejecting them the use of their platforms.

“This resembles what played out throughout the January 6th 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol In Washington, D.C. where those involved are either still being examined or have actually been credited court. I don’t blame them. Nobody wants their country destroyed under the guise of demonstrations.”

He, however, specified that the essence of the news rundown was not to gloat over the unfortunate advancement in Canada.

“Don’t misunderstand this intervention. We are not gloating over the unfortunate advancement in Canada. We are just calling attention to the double standards included in the way protesters deemed to be violent are viewed in Nigeria and in the West.

“Those who described the thugs who ruined personal and public residential or commercial property in Nigeria under the guise of EndSARS as tranquil protesters have tagged comparable protesters in their own nations as terrorists and insurrectionists. This glaring double standard must not be lost on all Nigerians.

“We have always stated that you need to have a country prior to you can even delight in the freedoms ensured by your country’s constitution. If there is no Nigeria, nobody will be broaching flexibility of expression or flexibility of association and the likes.

“This realisation explains why every nation goes above and beyond to safeguard and preserve itself. And this also describes why we have actually continued to insist on the guideline of social media to guarantee responsible material. In this area, I can with confidence say we are far ahead of many countries in the world, who have actually now recognized that social media must be managed in the interest of their own individuals.

“In this regard, our effective negotiation with Twitter to style out procedures to guarantee responsible usage of that platform which, by the method, will also apply to other social networks platforms, has actually made us an international trendsetter in efforts to prevent hazardous content from social media platforms

“Gentlemen, we need to not enable anyone to destroy our country under the guise of demonstration or unchecked flexibilities. We all need to put Nigeria first at all times,” he concluded.

ToriNG