NIGERIANS now have access to the services of social networking platform, Twitter, following the lift of the ban on its operations in the country.
The Federal Government lifted the ban yesterday, thereby enabling the United States micro-blogging platform to recommence service by midnight (January 13).
A statement by the Technical Committee Chairman on Nigeria/Twitter Engagement, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said Twitter has met all the conditions set by the government.
Inuwa, who is also the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said the government directed that the decision be communicated to Nigerians.
The decision was taken after President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of a memo from Communications and Digital Economy Minister Isa Ali Ibrahim.
The NITDA boss said the lifting the ban was a deliberate attempt to recalibrate Nigeria’s relationship with Twitter to achieve the maximum mutual benefits for both parties.
According to him, the engagement will help Twitter improve and develop more business models to cover a broader area in Nigeria.
But the government warned the platform users to refrain from promoting divisive, dangerous and distasteful information.
It also advised all internet platforms against committing a crime by using a Nigerian Internet Protocol (IP).
”Such offence is synonymous with committing a crime within our jurisdiction,” Inuwa said in the statement
The statement reads in part: “In the memo, the minister updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.”
