ABUJA: Nigeria announced to lift a ban on Twitter after the social media platform agreed to open a local office, among other agreements with authorities in the West African country.
The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4 last year after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that was widely perceived as offensive.
In the tweet, Buhari threatened citizens in the southeast region following attacks on public property. Telecoms companies subsequently blocked access to millions of users in Nigeria.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency said in a statement that Buhari had given approval to lift the suspension.
“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…,” Abdullahi’s statement said.
The company would work with the federal government and the broader industry “to develop a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries,” it said.
“Therefore, the (federal government) lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022.”
Abdullahi, who also chaired a joint technical committee of Nigerian and Twitter officials, said the US company agreed to appoint a country representative to engage with Nigerian authorities and comply with local tax obligations.
The government added that its decision to lift the suspension “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.”
