Nigeria suspended its Twitter platform indefinitely in June. The reason for this was that a tweet by President Mohammed Buhari was deleted by the company. Twitter announced that Buhari had removed the aforementioned posts due to “policy violation”. In the statement made by the Nigerian Ministry of Information and Culture regarding the suspension decision, the activities of the platform that could undermine the country’s institutional existence were cited as the reason.
During the 4 months that have passed, a new first-hand statement has come. Nigerian President Mohammed Buhari addressed the people on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the country’s independence. Buhari did not forget Twitter in his statement, which included many details from the social problems of citizens to foreign relations.
What does the president want the Twitter platform to be used for?
President Mohammad Buhari signed up for Twitter Inc. after the platform was banned in the country. He said he had contacted the Federal Government of Nigeria. In this context, he announced that he has established a presidential committee that will deal with the resolution of existing problems. Buhari later stated that the committee contacted Twitter and that talks were held to restart its activities in the country.
In the contacts between the Nigerian government and Twitter, many issues were discussed, from national security to physical presence and representation, to fair taxation. Muhammed Buhari mentioned another condition while saying that they give importance to these issues. He explained that Twitter will be reopened if conditions are met that will enable Nigerian people to use the platform for ‘business and positive relationships’.
Mohammad Buhari also said, “As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital platforms are used to improve the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and cultural values, and increase security online. ” he declared.
No response from Twitter
In a statement on the subject, Twitter said that its talks with the Nigerian government were respectful and productive. In addition, “We continue to engage with the Nigerian government and are committed to ensuring that everyone in the country can regain access to Twitter. We look forward to resuming the service very soon. ” said.
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