The last 160 days have not been the same in Nigeria thanks to the #TwitterBan that took place June 4th, 2021. According to some Civil Society Organizations, “Nigeria has lost at least $360 million since the Twitter ban”
The measure taken by the government declaring the platform suspended has been heavily criticized as undermines Nigeria’s corporate existence; a move widely condemned both locally and internationally as a gross violation of human rights and the right to expression.
However, about three weeks ago, the Nigerian government came out to say that it is getting to the point of lifting the Twitter ban.
Lai Mohammed, the Information and Culture minister explained that Twitter has acceded to seven out of ten demands put forward by the government before the social media giant could continue its operation in Nigeria. He made this known in Washington DC during his engagement with various global media outlets, global think tanks, and influencers.
During his respective interaction with Reuters, Washington Post, and Bloomberg Quicktake, a live streaming news service, the minister said there is an end in sight of an amicable settlement of the ban.
He said:
We believe that even the other three outstanding demands are not really about whether they agreed or not but about timing and scheduling. That is what gave me the confidence that we are getting nearer to an agreement.
Lai Mohammed
The minister said, among the demands made from twitter was for the platform to register as a Nigerian company, pay taxes from revenue made from the country and ensure that harmful contents are regulated.
It is however unknown when the social media platform will be fully restored yet.
