The microblogging platform was banned by the government in mid-2021.
After seven months of waiting, the federal government has finally lifted the ban on microblogging—- platform, Twitter, in Nigeria. It will be recalled that on June 4th, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari led government imposed an indefinite ban on Twitter after a tweet from the president threatened to deal with secessionists in the South-Eastern region in “the language they understand.’’ Telecommunications companies in Nigeria blocked users’ access to the social media platform.Read more about Social Media
Following the ban, human and civil rights groups such as SERAP called out the government, insisting that the ban was an infringement on the fundamental human rights of Nigerians. The government defended the ban by stating it was necessary to promote the country’s peace and unity. Despite this, Nigerians resolved to the use of VPN to access Twitter while they waited patiently for the government to lift the ban. In an official statement on Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed that President Buhari has given approval for the ban on Twitter to be lifted.
Sign up to the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter
“Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built…,’’the statement said. The statement further revealed that Twitter will work closely with the Nigerian government “to develop a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries.’’
“Therefore, the (federal government) lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022.’’Abdullahi who headed a joint technical committee comprising officials of the Nigerian government and Twitter officials revealed that the social media platform has agreed to set up a Nigerian office, and appoint a country representative that will engage with the government and ensure the company complies with tax obligations. Source: Reuters Featured Image Source: Star FM
Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com