Twitter remains banned in Nigeria but President Muhammadu Buhari says the social media platform will be unblocked only if Nigerians can use it positively.
Nigerians have been using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access Twitter since the Buhari government blocked it in June.
The blockade followed Twitter’s decision to sanction Buhari whom it accused of violating its policy on using Twitter to threaten violence. The Nigerian president had tweeted that he would speak to the separatist-leaning youth of the country’s South-East “in the language they understand”.
“Social media is a very useful platform that has enabled millions of Nigerians to connect with loved ones, promote their businesses, socialise, and access news and other information,” Buhari said during his Independence Day speech on Friday, October 1.
WATCH: Buhari lists condition for lifting Twitter ban
“However, recent events have shown that the platform is not just an innocuous platform for information dissemination.
“Rather some users have misused the platform to organise, coordinate, and execute criminal activities, propagate fake news, and promote ethnic and religious sentiments.
“To address these negative trends, the Federal Government of Nigeria suspended the operations of Twitter in Nigeria on June 5, 2021 to allow the Government put measures in place to address these challenges.
“Following the suspension of Twitter operations, Twitter Inc. reached out to the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve the impasse. Subsequently, I constituted a Presidential Committee to engage Twitter to explore the possibility of resolving the issue.
“The Committee, along with its Technical Team, has engaged with Twitter and have addressed a number of key issues. These are National Security and Cohesion; Registration, Physical presence and Representation; Fair Taxation; Dispute Resolution; and Local Content.
“Following the extensive engagements, the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens to continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements.
“As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety.”
