Nigerian Prez lifts Twitter ban with conditions

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he has directed the lifting of a ban on Twitter's operations in the country, but only if the micro-blogging giant meets certain conditions imposed by the government.

In his address to mark the country's 61st Independence Day, Buhari on Friday said his administration took the decision to allow Nigerian citizens to continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements after Twitter reached out to the government to resolve the impasse, reports Xinhua news agency.

Nigerian government and Twitter representatives have met to address a number of key issues bordering on national security and cohesion, the site's registration, physical presence, and representation in the country; fair taxation, dispute resolution, and local content, the President said.

"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," Buhari said.


Nigeria suspended Twitter suspensions on June 5 to allow the government to put measures in place to address identified negative trends allegedly exhibited by the social media giant.

The Nigerian leader said the government has developed some policies to enable citizens to take advantage of the prospects and avoid the perils of digital technologies.

"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," he added - IANS