Nigerian government on Wednesday said it will soon lift the ban on Twitter due to progress in the ongoing dialogue with the California-based microblogging firm.
Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed told reporters at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday the ban could be lifted in a matter of days, as the dialogue between the two parties has been “respectful.”
“If the operation has been suspended for about 100 days now, I can tell that we are just actually talking about a few, just a few more days now,” Mohammed said, explaining that the Nigerian government’s representatives and the Twitter team were focused on reaching a conclusion on the matter.
“What we are trying to do is the changes that have been going on… I can assure that we are not unmindful of the anxiety of Nigerians and both parties are working very hard to put a closure on the matter,” the minister said.
“And like Twitter itself said, the changes have been very, very productive on both parties. And it’s quite respectful,” he added.
The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4, alleging that “it provided an avenue for unpatriotic elements that were bent on destroying the corporate existence of Nigeria,” after it deleted a tweet by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari who issued a warning to “troublemakers” in Nigeria.
Aside from suspending Twitter’s activities, Nigeria’s broadcast regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission, also ordered all local broadcasting stations to suspend their use of Twitter.
Due to the development, the Nigerian government is insisting on the official registration of Twitter and other social media platforms in the country. Enditem
