The Nigerian government on Wednesday said the Twitter ban in the country could be lifted in a few days as there has been some progress in the ongoing dialogue with the California-based microblogging company, reported Premium Times.
During a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said the ban could be lifted in a matter of days, as the dialogue between the two parties has been respectful.
“If the operation has been suspended for about 100 days now, I can tell that we are just actually talking about a few, just a few more days now,” Mohammed said.
He explained that the Nigerian government’s representatives and the Twitter people were focused on reaching a conclusion on the matter.
“What we are trying to do is the changes that have been going on… I can assure that we are not unmindful of the anxiety of Nigerians and both parties are working very hard to put a closure on the matter,” the Nigerian minister said. “And like Twitter itself said, the changes have been very, very productive on both parties. And it’s quite respectful.”
The Nigerian government suspended Twitter back in June after it deleted a tweet by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari claiming that the tweet violated its rules.
The government cited persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as the reason for the ban.
In addition to suspending Twitter’s activities in the country, Nigeria’s broadcast regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission, also ordered all local broadcasting stations to suspend their use of Twitter.
The ban had drawn widespread condemnation from many Nigerians, civic groups, and the international community for its damaging effect on freedom of expression and the ease of doing business in Africa’s most populous nation.
Due to the development, the Nigerian government is insisting on the official registration of Twitter and other social media platforms in the country.
