Nigeria lifts Twitter ban, says company has agreed to governments demands

The ban, which was first instituted on June 5, was reversed at midnight on Friday after a decision was made after Twitter agreed to meet all conditions set by the Nigerian government.

CAPE TOWN, January 14 (ANA) – Nigeria on Friday lifted a ban on social media platform Twitter, saying the latter had agreed to meet all of its demands, broadcaster CNN reported.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s government suspended Twitter’s operations in the West African country about six months ago, accusing the United States social media giant of allowing its platform to be used “for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence“ according to reports at the time.

The ban which was enforced on June 5 was reversed at midnight on condition that Twitter must:

Register in Nigeria

Appoint a designated country representative

Comply with tax obligations in Nigeria

Ensure direct communication between government officials and Twitter to manage prohibited content that violates the platform’s community rules

Act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws

Twitter said it was pleased its services had been restored in Nigeria.

“Our mission in Nigeria & around the world, is to serve the public conversation,” it tweeted. “We are deeply committed to Nigeria, where Twitter is used by people for commerce, cultural engagement, and civic participation.”

In a landmark court ruling last June, the Abuja-based ECOWAS court of justice restrained Buhari’s government from prosecuting people for using Twitter.

The judgement came after a suit filed against the government by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians who argued that the suspension of Twitter was unlawful.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa