Nigerians React to the Federal Government's Decision to Lift the Ban on Twitter Use After 222 Days

Nigerians React to the Federal Government's Decision to Lift the Ban on Twitter Use After 222 Days

  • After about seven months, the Nigerian government decided to lift the suspension it placed on Twitter operations in the country
  • The announcement was made by Kashifu Abdullahi, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
  • Nigerians have taken to social media to react to the news with 'twitter ban' currently trending across social media platforms

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Nigerians may now use Twitter without paying for a Virtual Private Network (VPN) after 222 days.

According to the Nation, Nigeria's federal government banned Twitter on June 4, 2021, for allegedly using the site to damage the country's business existence.

The prohibition was lifted on Wednesday, January 12th, 2021, by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

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Nigerians react to the federal government's decision to lift the ban on Twitter use after 222 days
It took 222 days(7 months) for the ban on twitter to be lifted Credit: twitter
Source: UGC

Abdullahi revealed that he got the directory to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the lifting of the ban.

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He said the Minister for information, Isa Pantami updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation, TheCable also reported.

Abdullahi said:

"President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the lifting of the platform’s suspension following a memo written to the President by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami."

Nigerians reacts

Following the lifting of the ban Nigerians have taken to twitter and facebook to react to the ban which has severally hit both small and big businesses who use the platform to engage with customers and have visibility.

Ayinde Abayomi Sunday wrote

"Lifting suspension? Which suspension?"

Akez Micheal also said:

"Was there really a ban?"

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Prince Jnr Ekechukwu also said

"Who the lifting of ban help ...? Am not deleting this my VPN"

Joe Oghenekome Chuks wrote also

"I won’t be surprised if this government comes up with another oppressive moves soon, they know VPN will make our voices really go far in a second and that’s probably the reason why they about to lift the ban. This is Nigeria, nothing surprises me anymore, anything can happen."

Twitter finally meets FG's conditions

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that investigations and reliable reports indicated that Twitter was expected to resume full operations, having met all the conditions listed by the federal government.

It was gathered that the technical committee set up to resolve the issue between both parties was working on the offers by Twitter after which a final recommendation would be made to President Buhari.

A government source disclosed that the site had "finally met six conditions set by the government for the lifting of the ban on its service in Nigeria as at the close of business in 2021."

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Dave Ibemere avatar

Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.