The Federal Government has lifted the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, January 13, 2022.
Director General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, said President Muhammadu Buhari gave the approval in a public statement released on Wednesday.
Following is the full statement, titled: “FGN lifts suspension of Twitter operations”: “The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022.
The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the Memo, the Minister updates and requests the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.
You may recall that on 5th June 2021, the FGN suspended the operation of Twitter through an announcement made by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed. Thereafter, the President constituted a seven-man Presidential Committee to engage Twitter Inc.
Subsequently, in its wisdom, the Presidential Committee set a 20-member Technical Committee comprising all relevant government agencies. The Technical Committee engaged and worked directly with the Twitter team.The immediate and remote cause of the suspension was the unceasing use of the platform by some unscrupulous elements for subversive purposes and criminal activities, propagating fake news, and polarising Nigerians along tribal and religious lines, among others.
These issues bordering on National Security, Cohesion and the effects of the abuse of the Twitter platform forced the FGN to suspend the operation of Twitter to address the direct and collateral issues around its operations in Nigeria.
The new global reality is that digital platforms and their operators wield enormous influence over the fabric of our society, social interaction and economic choices. These platforms can be used as either a tool or a weapon. Every nation is grappling with how to balance its usage efficiently.
Without balancing, every citizen’s security, privacy, social well-being, and development are at stake. Therefore, our action is a deliberate attempt to recalibrate our relationship with Twitter to achieve the maximum mutual benefits for our nation without jeopardising the justified interests of the Company.
Our engagement has been very respectful, cordial, and successful.The process of resolving this impasse between the FGN and Twitter Inc. has helped lay a foundation for a mutually beneficial future with endless possibilities.
Twitter is a platform of choice for many Nigerians ranging from young innovators to public sector officials who find it helpful to engage their audience. Therefore, our engagement will help Twitter improve and develop more business models to cover a broader area in Nigeria. Furthermore, the FGN looks forward to providing a conducive environment for Twitter and other global tech companies to achieve their potential and be sustainably profitable in Nigeria.
While appreciating all Nigerians, especially the vibrant Nigerian youths who have borne with the long wait to resolve this impasse, the FGN is happy to say that the gains made from this shared national sacrifice are immeasurable. Some of the gains include:Ongoing economic and training opportunities as the Company continues to consider expanding its presence in Nigeria;Getting a better understanding of how to use the Twitter platform effectively to improve businesses; Revenue generation from the operation of Twitter in Nigeria;Smooth and coordinated relationship between Nigerian Government and Twitter leading to mutual trust;Reduction of cybercriminal activities such as terrorism, cyberstalking, hate speech, etc.; andWorking with Twitter and other global companies to build an acceptable code of conduct following the global best practice.
The FGN has asked Twitter to fulfil some conditions before restoring its services. These conditions addressed legal registration of operations, taxation, and managing prohibited publication in line with Nigerian laws.
Twitter has agreed to meet all the conditions set by the FGN. Consequently, the FGN and Twitter have decided on an execution timeline, which has started this week. Our engagement with Twitter opens a new chapter in global digital diplomacy and sets a new operational template for Twitter to come back stronger for the benefit of Nigerians.
The following are the resolutions agreed with Twitter. Inc.:
Twitter has committed to establishing a legal entity in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2022. The legal entity will register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The establishment of the entity is Twitter’s first step in demonstrating its long-term commitment to Nigeria.Twitter has agreed to appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities. The Global Public Policy team is also directly available through a dedicated communication channel.Twitter has agreed to comply with applicable tax obligations on its operations under Nigerian law.
Twitter has agreed to enrol Nigeria in its Partner Support and Law Enforcement Portals. The Partner Support Portal provides a direct channel for government officials and Twitter staff to manage prohibited content that violates Twitter community rules. At the same time, the Law Enforcement Portal provides a channel for the law enforcement agencies to submit a report with a legal justification where it suspects that content violates Nigerian Laws.
Taken together, these represent a comprehensive compliance apparatus.Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built and work with the FGN and the broader industry to develop a Code of Conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries.
Therefore, the FGN lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13th January 2022. We encourage all users of the Twitter platform to maintain ethical behaviour and refrain from promoting divisive, dangerous, and distasteful information on the platform.
As patriotic citizens, we need to be mindful that anything illegal offline is also illegal online and that committing a crime using a Nigerian Internet Protocol (IP) is synonymous with committing a crime within our jurisdiction.Considering Twitter’s influence on our democracy, our economy, and the very fabric of our corporate existence as a Nation, our priority is to adapt, not ban, Twitter.
The FGN is committed to working with Twitter to do anything possible to help Nigerians align and navigate Twitter algorithmic design to realise its potentials while avoiding its perils.In his approval, the President appreciates the Presidential Committee led by the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed, for the supervisory role and guidance given to the Technical Committee during the engagement.
Similarly, the Presidential Committee commends the Technical Committee for a professional, robust and productive engagement with Twitter Inc. It also appreciates Government Regulatory Agencies and Internet Service Providers who implemented the FGN’s directives during the suspension. (PRNigeria).”
Anger had swept through the country as the Federal Government banned Twitter operations in Nigeria indefinitely on June 4, last year over the removal from the micro-blogging site of a posting by Buhari, which that company considered offensive and against its policy.
Government then went ahead and declared that all the social media platforms operating in Nigeria were now to be licensed by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Twitter had said in its initial reaction to the clampdown that it was investigating the action against it.
Nigerians in their thousands condemned the ban.
Government had cited “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence” for its action.
Two days earlier, Information and Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed had accused Twitter of playing double standards in matters concerning domestic issues, and described the company’s role in Nigeria as suspect.
Twitter had pulled down a comment by Buhari in which he said the Federal Government would treat “those misbehaving today” in “the language they understand” in reference to the civil war.
Almost simultaneously with the suspension of Twitter, Facebook also had pulled down Buhari’s threat against “those misbehaving.”
In a similar move, Facebook had extended the ban it placed on the account of the immediate past US president Donald Trump to two years.
Incidentally, the Federal Government’s ban on Twitter was broken on the same social medium by the Federal Ministry of Information. But it did not say how the ban would be enforced.
Mohammed in a statement through his Special Assistant Segun Adeyemi, had said that the federal government had “suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria”.
He said the action stemmed from “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
He also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to “immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.”
Other social media platforms used by Nigerians include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube.
Twitter had then in its first reaction to the ban said: ‘We’re investigating action against us’, adding that it was “deeply concerning”.
It said it was “investigating and will provide updates when we know more.”
A Twitter spokesperson had said it pulled down Buhari’s post because it “was in violation of the Twitter Rules. The account owner will be required to delete the violative Tweet and spend 12 hours with their account in read-only mode”.
The statement gave no further details.
Ban incompatible with Nigeria’s international obligations, says Amnesty
Amnesty International (AI) had described the ban on Twitter as incompatible with Nigeria’s international obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It asked government to lift the ban immediately.
“Amnesty International condemns the Nigerian government’s suspension of Twitter in Nigeria — a social medium widely used by Nigerians to exercise their human rights, including their rights to freedom of expression and access to information,” AI said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“We call on the #Nigerian authorities to immediately reverse the unlawful suspension and other plans to gag the media, repress the civic space, and undermine Nigerians’ human rights. #TwitterBan.
“This action is clearly inconsistent and incompatible with Nigeria’s international obligations, including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
Sweden says no to Twitter suspension
Also, the Swedish Embassy in Abuja had opposed the federal government’s indefinite suspension of Twitter.
In a post via its official Twitter handle ‘Sweden in Nigeria,’ it advised the government to respect Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression.
“Nigerians have a constitutional right to exercise their freedom of expression and a right to access of information. This must be respected.
“Safeguarding free, independent media and civic spaces for democratic voices is an important part of Sweden’s”, it tweeted ending its tweet with the hashtags #DriveForDemocracy and #TwitterBan.
Soyinka: It’s a petulant gesture unbecoming of a democratically elected president
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka had branded the Twitter ban a “petulant gesture” that is “unbecoming of a democratically elected president.”
He said: “if Buhari has a problem with Twitter, he is advised to sort it out between them personally, the way Donald Trump did, not rope in the right to free expression of the Nigerian citizen as collateral damage.
“In any case, this is a technical problem Nigerians should be able to work their way around. The field of free expression remains wide open, free of any dictatorial spasms!”
PDP: It’s draconian, slide towards fascism
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had said President Buhari, by the ban, was “pushing Nigerians to the wall”.
It described the Twitter suspension as unwarranted, draconian and a slide towards a fascist regime in our country.
It also said the suspension was “a vexatious, condemnable and barbaric move to muzzle Nigerians, particularly the youths,” ostensibly to prevent them from holding the administration “accountable for its atrocities, including human right violations, patronizing of terrorists and outright suppressive acts against innocent Nigerians.”
Also, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had tweeted: “Hopefully, this isn’t my last tweet. #smile,”
While former Senate President Bukola Saraki had said: “No sir! This should not be the response from the president of a nation with a vibrant youthful population for whom #Twitter is part of their daily lives and a source of their income and livelihood. This must be reviewed.”
Some other tweets then: Dino Melaye “Naija Govt sha. Using Twitter platform to announce Twitter suspension. Na im Baba Fela dey call babanla nonsense. SDM”
Dr. Dípò Awójídé, FHEA @OgbeniDipo Does President Buhari and the federal government know how much young Nigerians make on social media platforms like Twitter daily? Does Lai Mohammed know the number of jobs being sustained by Twitter in Nigeria? What is wrong with these people?
Dalla Bona Fan @jaja_sowari Replying to @OgbeniDipo “So many inconsistencies from Jack and his twitter team. For the first time, I am with FG on this.”
‘Fisayo Soyombo “The most shameful thing about the ban of Twitter in Nigeria is not even that it was announced. It’s the realisation that this government can’t see the divisiveness and irresponsibility of that Buhari tweet, and the barefacedness with which it is going about it.”
Roviel @ObongRoviel “FG has suspended Twitter in Nigeria, if you can still tweet, that means you’re in UAR. Ko po ke”
YourFavLawyer @jagganiyu “If Twitter is such an issue for them, why don’t they deactivate their accounts? Why are they still on Twitter? They know Crowwe is a useless app. Me I’m in UAR sha, so Twitter in Nigeria suspension no concern me.”
SERAP “BREAKING: We’re suing Nigerian authorities over their ILLEGAL indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.
“Nigerians have a right to freedom of expression and access to information including online, and we plan to fight to keep it that way. @NigeriaGov, we’ll see you in court.”
@Biraphil: This is the same twitter y’all cried when they set up their headquarters in Ghana instead of Nigeria. Government would’ve locked their headquarters up for hate speech by now.
NBA, Ozekhome slam FG
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome yesterday opposed the federal government’s indefinite suspension of the operations of micro blogging and social networking service Twitter.
They had advised the government to immediately reverse itself on the ground that the suspension contravened Nigerians’ constitutional right to freely express their views via Twitter.
In the alternative, NBA President Olumide Akpata had threatened legal action against the government on behalf of Nigerians.
Akpata said: “The Nigerian Bar Association has noted with great concern the extraordinary decision of the Federal Govt to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria and, by necessary implication, the right of Nigerians to freely express their constitutionally guaranteed opinions through that medium.
“The NBA finds no constitutional or legal authority to support the peremptory action of the Federal Government to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria.
“Beyond the dent on our constitutional democracy, at a time when the Nigerian economy is unarguably struggling, the impact of arbitrary decisions such as this on investor confidence is better imagined.
“Consequently, if this decision is not immediately reversed, the NBA will have no choice but to challenge same in the interest of the public and for the sake of our democracy.”
Dr Ozekhome had slammed the government in a statement ‘When a toterring government twiddles Twitter’
He said:”What does Nigerian government think Twitter loses by being suspended? It is just the Nigerian people that will suffer, in the same way the government has been punishing Nigerians in the last six years.
“Twitter will not even bother whether Nigerians use Twitter or not. We are 210 million people in Nigeria. Of this number, only about 33 million Nigerians are active on social media. Less than 15 million of these are on Twitter.
“On the other hand, there are well over 300 million people across the world that use twitter. So Twitter will not feel it. It is just like a drop of water in an ocean. Twitter will not even know that a country has suspended it.
“So, it is the same beleaguered Nigerian people that will suffer, not the Federal Government or Twitter, because the Federal Government is a minute minuscule aspect of the Nigerian society, made up of only a few selected elite that do not care about the common man.
“This is the same government that undeservedly rode to power using the same twitter and other social media platforms it now detests….I am very ashamed.”
Like Twitter, Facebook removes Buhari’s ‘Genocidal’ threat post
Another social media platform, Facebook, had pulled down Buhari’s controversial threat against “those misbehaving today.”
Facebook’s action was in reaction to complaints from some Nigerian users.
It said: “In line with our global policies, we’ve removed a post from President Buhari’s Facebook page for violating our Community Standards against inciting violence. We remove any content from individuals or organisations that violates our policies on Facebook.”
Facebook suspends Trump for two years
Facebook had also suspended former U.S. President Donald Trump for two years effective Jan. 7.
Facebook, in a statement by Nick Clegg, Vice-President of Global Affairs, cited “severe violation” after Capitol Hill riots of January 6 and that Trump’s accounts would only be reinstated if conditions permitted.
“Last month, the Oversight Board upheld Facebook’s suspension of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following his praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6.
“But in doing so, the board criticised the open-ended nature of the suspension, stating that “it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension”.”
“The board instructed us to review the decision and respond in a way that is clear and proportionate, and made a number of recommendations on how to improve our policies and processes,” it said.
“We are today announcing new enforcement protocols to be applied in exceptional cases such as this, and we are confirming the time-bound penalty consistent with those protocols which we are applying to Mr. Trump’s accounts.”
“Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols Facebook stated.
“We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on January 7 this year.
“At the end of this period, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded.
“We will evaluate external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest.”
