President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, engaged Nigerians through his official twitter account for the first time since imposing a ban on the operations of the microblogging in the country last year June.
The Nigerian government had imposed a ban on the social media platform after it deleted tweets of Buhari. The tweets, which referenced the Nigerian Civil War, threatened to deal with those behind insecurity in the “language they understand.”
Though the Federal government, on January 13, 2022, restored the operations of Twitter in Nigeria, the President, until now neither tweeted nor engaged any post on the microblogging site.
However, on Monday, Buhari broke silence by taking to the platform to share photos of himself observing the Eid-el-Fitr prayer with the Muslim faithful at the Mambila Barracks Parade Ground in Abuja.
In a series of tweets, the President joined the rest of the world in the commemoration of the celebration of Eid-el-Fitr.
He also used the medium to assure Nigerians that the battle waged against terrorists, who falsely masquerade under the name of Islam is approaching its conclusion and “victory is within sight”.
“After a period of fasting and reflection, this year, we have cause to welcome the occasion in hope. The battle waged against terrorists who falsely masquerade under the name of Islam is approaching its conclusion,” he said.
“The fight has been long and hard. Final victory is within sight. Boko Haram and its offshoots’ final embers are now fading. Last month, the leader of ISWAP was killed in an airstrike. Since the New Year, thousands of fighters have surrendered.
“The territories they used to occupy are now seeing the return of those who were forced to flee their barbarity. Normality is finally beginning to return to the Northeast. It is a long process. Yet it is one we are, together, now embarking upon.
“With the designation of bandit groups as terrorists, the challenges of banditry & kidnapping are being tackled differently in the north-west and north-central where the latest military acquisitions and armed forces are being fanned out across the region to thwart acts of terror,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have since been reacting to the tweets as Buhari makes his return to twitter months after lifting the ban it imposed on the social media platform.
Here are some of the reactions harvested on Twitter;
“Buhari tweets for the first time after his Twitter ban and lifting. That’s getting to almost a year. Meanwhile, Nigerians are tweeting ‘ifb’ under his Eid Mubarak #EidUlFitr message to Muslims 🤣🤣🤣🤣
#EidAlFitr.” (@Ebenezer_Peegah)
“First post from this Buhari account since he banned Twitter 1st June 2021 and he was welcomed with IFB. Here for it 🤷”(@obaroddy)
“Buhari is posting on Twitter for the first time since after the Ban. Baba is back to Twitter. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
#KeepitOn.”(@Ucijomanta)
“Awwww ❤❤❤ my Daddy is back on Twitter.”(@GoziconC)