Again Twitter Speaks On Ongoing Negotiations With Nigerian Government

 

It’s been over 100 days since the Nigeria Government banned Micro-blogging platform, Twitter after the site deleted a tweet by president Buhari.

However, Twitter has disclosed that its talks with Nigeria Government over the restoration of its services in the country have been “respectful and productive.”

Twitter spokesperson made this known in a statement to Peoples Gazette on Monday evening.

The company noted that it is committed to charting a path forward to the restoration of Twitter for everyone in Nigeria.

“Discussions with the Nigerian government have been respectful and productive – we look forward to seeing the service restored very soon.

“We continue to engage with the Nigerian government to discuss why Twitter has been blocked and ways to resolve the matter. We are committed to charting a path forward to the restoration of Twitter for everyone in Nigeria.”

The statement comes a day after the controversial ban hit 100 days, with rights activists expressing fears that the regime was not in a hurry to rescind its action and allow the constitutional rights of Nigerians prevail.

The Muhammadu Buhari-led government had on June 4 announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria. Telecommunication companies started blocking access to Twitter on June 5, after they received a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission to block access to Twitter.

The Nigerian government had cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as the reason for the suspension.

Following the ban, groups including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), had dragged the government to the ECOWAS court.

The government however told a Federal High Court in Lagos that it had not stopped Nigerians from using Twitter, adding that many Nigerians still used it every day.

However, the United States Government described the ban on the operations of Twitter in Nigeria and the directive that all social media platforms operating in the country must register and obtain a licence as worrisome.