Nigeria has lifted its Twitter ban, seven months after imposing restrictions on the social networking site.
Last June, the Nigerian government suspended Twitter after the company deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari about punishing regional secessionists.
Authorities accused the social media firm of siding with the secessionists.
But the government said it was reversing the ban after Twitter agreed to conditions including opening a local office in Nigeria.
However, the government announced that the ban would be lifted after Twitter agreed to certain conditions, including the establishment of a local office in Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian government, Twitter has agreed to:
- Register in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022
- Appoint a designated country representative
- Comply with tax obligations in Nigeria
- Enroll Nigeria in its portal for direct communications between government officials and Twitter to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules
- Act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws
The move allows millions of people in Africa’s most populous nation to use the platform again.
Many Nigerians had continued to access the site after the suspension using virtual private networks (VPNs) but most corporate organisations, including many media outfits, had obeyed the government’s order.
Analysts believe the ban has cost the Nigerian economy millions of dollars, especially the small businesses which use the platform to reach their customers.
Source: bbc.com
