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  After about seven months, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally lifted the ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria.
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The decision was disclosed by the Chairman, Technical Committee, Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi. The Chairman made it known in a statement in Abuja that the authorization for operations was given following a memo written to the President by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. According to Abdullahi, the ban on Twitter was a result of its abuse by unscrupulous elements for propagating propaganda, fake news, whipping up religious and tribal sentiments, and encouragement of violence, which were detrimental to the unity of the country. Abdullahi further stated that Twitter was proving to be a threat to national cohesion, security, and was a tool for social and political abuse, especially to the office of the President, which forced President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the use of Twitter to deal with the immediate and collateral issues around its operations in Nigeria. He further stated that the Federal Government had been in discussions with Twitter since its ban, which helped lay a foundation for a mutually-beneficial future with extensive possibilities. The released statement reads:
 “The FGN has asked Twitter to fulfil some conditions before restoring its services. These conditions addressed legal registration of operations, taxation, and managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian laws. “Twitter has agreed to meet all the conditions set by the FGN. Consequently, the FGN and Twitter have decided on an execution timeline, which has started this week. Our engagement with Twitter opens a new chapter in global digital diplomacy and sets a new operational template for Twitter to come back stronger for the benefit of Nigerians.”
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According to FG, Twitter agreed with the resolution which stated that it would operate as an establishment under the legal provisions under the Nigerian laws in the first quarter of 2022 and would be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and the appointment of a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities. The statement further reads:
“Twitter has agreed to comply with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law and has agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals.”
It went on,
“The Partner Support Portal provides a direct channel for government officials and Twitter staff to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules. At the same time, the Law Enforcement Portal provides a channel for the law enforcement agencies to submit a report with a legal justification where it suspects that content violates Nigerian Laws.”
Abdullahi disclosed that founded on the agreements, the FGN lifts the ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of January 13, 2022, and encouraged users to maintain ethical behaviour and refrain from promoting divisive, dangerous, and distasteful information on the platform. Reacting, many Nigerians have stated that the lifting of the ban was a political move, as the general election of 2023 is around the corner. For others, it was a sigh of relief. Featured Image Source: The Will News Media
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This article was first published on 12th January 2022

nnaemeka-emmanuel

Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.

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