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The Federal Government has lifted ban placed on American microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, from operating in Nigeria seven months after it restricted its operation in the country.
As stated, the lifting followed approval by President Muhammadu Buhari and that the company would resume operation effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022.
Announcing the government’s decision on Wednesday, the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement, Kashifu Abdullahi, said that the president’s approval followed a memo written to him (Buhari) by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim.
Abdullahi, who also doubled as the Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), through a statement, explained that Pantami, through the memo update the president on the outcome of several meetings with the social media’s team and approved the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.
It would be recalled that the apex government had on June 4, 2021, banned Twitter from operating in Nigeria, following the company’s removal of Buhari’s tweets and videos from its platform.
It said that decisions to place a suspension on operations of the social networking service across the country were reached after it became obvious that the platform was been used to portray the government badly.
Announcing the ban on operations, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, alleged that the foreign firm has allowed its platform to be used for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
More Details shortly…
