NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT LIFTS BAN ON TWITTER AFTER SECURING AGREEMENTS

The Nigerian government has lifted the ban it placed on microblogging platform, Twitter, after about 8 months of freezing its operations in the country. The platform’s operation is expected to come back at 12am, 13 January 2022. The decision to lift the suspension was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari after the microblogging platform agreed to four resolutions requested by the Nigerian government.

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in a statement in Abuja, said the approval was given following a memo written to the President by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022,” Kashifu said in a statement. He added that the approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the said memo the minister had updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.

Following the ban on June 4, 2021, the federal government had listed several demands which Twitter must agree to before it is allowed to operate again in Nigeria. The demands include employing a designated country representative. The company representative must also have a physical address in Abuja and outside the capital city as well as access to the global management so that it can serve as the liaison between Nigeria and Twitter.

Twitter is also expected to register with all relevant bodies and regulatory authorities like the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The government also wants Twitter to commit itself to work with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to enable local tax collection from the company.

The ban impacted the businesses of many companies that rely on the platform for various marketing needs. Top10VPN, a British company that reviews VPN usage, estimated that the ban on Twitter impacted around 104.4 million internet users in Nigeria with around $366.9 million lost in revenue. The company also utilised Netblocks and Internet Society to arrive at the calculations. The revenue loss placed Nigeria in the top three positions of countries with the most cost to revenue for putting a restriction on the internet. Myanmar and India are in the top two positions in terms of their losses.

Read more at: https://businessday.ng/lead-story/article/nigeria-government-lifts-ban-on-twitter-after-securing-agreements/

 

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