On June 4, Nigeria halted Twitter’s operations.
The Nigerian government has reversed the country’s Twitter ban, seven months after the country’s more than 200 million people were barred from using the social media network.
According to the director-general of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has requested that Twitter operations restart in the country on Thursday. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi stated that this was only after Twitter agreed to certain criteria, including the establishment of a Nigerian office.
On June 4, Nigeria halted Twitter’s operations, citing “consistent usage of the platform for activities capable of damaging Nigeria’s corporate existence.” The action drew criticism because it occurred so soon after the social media platform deleted a post by Buhari in which he vowed to kill himself.
“Our action is a conscious attempt to rebalance our relationship with Twitter in order to maximize mutual benefits for our country while protecting the company’s legitimate interests.” “Our collaboration has been quite courteous, amicable, and fruitful,” Abdullahi said in a statement.
A Twitter spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to registering in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022, Abdullahi stated that Twitter has agreed to other conditions such as appointing a designated country representative, adhering to tax obligations, and acting “with a respectful acknowledgment of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built.”
