Nigeria Reinstates Twitter After a Six-Month Ban

Twitter has been restored in Nigeria after the government on Thursday lifted a six-month ban on the social media giant.

The Nigerian government deactivated the social media platform in June last year after a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists was deleted.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the decision to lift the ban was made after Twitter agreed to meet all conditions set by the Nigerian government.

“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…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,” read the statement.

“Therefore, the federal government lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022.”

The conditions include managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian law and addressing issues of operations and tax.

Abdullahi pointed out that the US company agreed to appoint a country representative to engage with Nigerian authorities and comply with local tax obligations.