In 2021, on June 4th, the Nigerian government suspended Twitter’s operations in the country.
The American social network was accused of letting its platform be used “for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
The ban was announced two days after Twitter deleted a controversial tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, which it said violated its rules.
In the tweet, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his dissatisfaction with the attacks on critical national infrastructure, including facilities belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It read, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
The suspension prompted many to turn to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access the online platform. Despite the immense usage of VPNs, experts said the ban sent a discouraging message to foreign investors and caused small businesses who use Twitter as a source of livelihood some losses.
On October 1st, 2021, the 61st Independence Day Anniversary of Nigeria. During a speech, the president commented on the Twitter ban, saying that the ban would only be lifted if the Social Network met certain conditions.
These conditions include Twitter setting up a local office or a legal entity in Nigeria, paying taxes locally, and cooperating with the Nigerian government to regulate content and harmful tweets.
Roughly six months after the ban was placed, the Nigerian government has lifted the suspension of Twitter operations following President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval.
The removal of the ban took effect from midnight Thursday, January 13th, 2022.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, January 13th by the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.
According to a government statement, the decision to lift the ban was made after Twitter consented to meet the conditions set by the Nigerian government.
Also, in the statement, “The new global reality is that digital platforms and their operators wield enormous influence over the fabric of our society, social interaction and economic choices. These platforms can be used as either a tool or a weapon.”
Consequently, Twitter is expected to establish a legal entity in Nigeria in the first quarter of the year and appoint a country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities in 2023. The execution timeline for the conditions begins this week.
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