The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that the ban on operations on micro blogging platform, Twitter, will be lifted “in a matter of days”.
This was made known by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed after the week’s virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Minister gave details of the conditions given to the platform, saying most of them have been accepted.
On the government’s negotiation with the micro-blogging site, he pointed out the areas still pending such as Twitter setting up an office and having a Twitter staff of management cadre that will serve as the country representative, were being discussed.
He said that Twitter has agreed to the condition in the area of a Nigerian office, even though it is however maintaining the earliest it can establish it is 2022.
He however emphasized that everything will be concluded with Twitter within a few days or weeks, noting the anxiety shown by Nigerians.
The Federal Government’s committee negotiating with Twitter will meet on the agreement soon to make recommendations, he added.
Recall on 5 June 2021, the Nigerian government had officially put an indefinite ban on Twitter, restricting it from operating in Nigeria after the social media platform deleted tweets made by President Muhammadu Buhari, said to have disparaged the south eastern people of Nigeria.
The ban has been condemned by several local and international groups, including Amnesty International as well as several Foreign Missions in Nigeria.
