Nigeria telecommunication companies are yet to restore Twitter services after the federal government on Wednesday announced that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the suspension of the ban.
The Nigeria government said the eight month banned will be formally lifted by 12 midnight on 13 January but as at press time, Twitter services are yet to be restored.
Chronicle NG reports that Nigerians who stayed up to reconnect on Twitter were disappointed because they could not access the app.
A senior telco official told Chronicle NG that telecommunication companies are yet to receive official memo directing them to restore Twitter services.
The official said telecommunication companies cannot act based on press statements but rather they act on official communication.
“We await official communication to lift the restriction. You will recall that some telecommunication companies did not immediately restrict the services of Twitter in June last year because they did not receive official communication to do so.”
Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, communicated the FG’s decision to lift the ban on Twitter.
Kashifu, in a statement in Abuja, said the approval was given following a memo written to the President by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim.
The NITDA boss listed the following as the resolution reached with Twitter. He said, “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.
