Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has refuted claims that the Federal Government instructed telecom companies to disrupt network services during the nationwide protests that began on Thursday.
The allegations surfaced after numerous Nigerians reported unusually slow internet connections and took to social media to express their frustrations. This led to speculation that the government might be deliberately impeding network services to undermine the protests.
In a statement to Channels Television, Tijani denied any such directive, clarifying that the Federal Government had not issued instructions to interfere with telecommunications networks.
He attributed the slow internet speeds to the surge in online activity, as many people remained at home due to the ongoing protests, which commenced on August 1.
“There’s no instruction to tamper with phone networks,” Tijani stated. “You need to understand that when you have a significant number of people not at work, they are online, and so you would expect the traffic to be extremely high. I am not saying that is the cause, as I have not done any technical assessment”, he said.
The Minister’s comments aim to dispel concerns about government interference and highlight the potential impact of heightened online traffic during times of widespread public unrest.
