President Muhammadu Buhari has authorised the resumption of Twitter’s services in Nigeria.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), announced that the lifting of the restriction will take effect at 12 a.m. on January 13, 2022, according to a statement from the agency.
The ban was imposed on June 5 after Twitter deleted a tweet in which Buhari threatened to deal with Biafra separatists “in the language they understand”. Twitter said the comment violated its policy against issuing threats.
Amid nationwide and international criticism, FG in August said it had made “tremendous progress” in resolving the impasse following a series of meetings, and that an “an amicable solution is very much in sight”.
Since the suspension, millions of Twitter users in Nigeria have been unable to access the social media site unless they utilise a virtual private network (VPN).
The suspension of the app by the Federal Government drew condemnation from a number of sources, including the US Department of State, Amnesty International, the British and Canadian embassies in Nigeria, and the Swedish Embassy in Nigeria.
The suspension of the ban, should it happen on Thursday, would indicate that the internet giant has agreed to the Federal Government’s terms and conditions.
Twitter, on the other hand, has yet to issue a comment on its relationship with the Nigerian government.
