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| Nigeria suspends Twitter operations |
The Nigerian government has announced its decision through the Ministry of Information and Culture to stop operating the social networking platform Twitter in the country.
The statement, published by the Minister of Information and Culture and signed by his media assistant, clarifies that telecommunications companies in the country prevent the use of Twitter.
The ministry statement said: “The Federal Government has suspended Weibo and the social media service Twitter in Nigeria for an indefinite period.
The Minister of Information and Culture, in a statement published in Abuja, announced that he will continue to use the platform for activities that may disrupt the presence of Nigerian businesses.
The minister said the federal government has also requested NBC to immediately begin the licensing process for all OTT and social media companies in Nigeria.
The announcement is a culmination of what happened last week. Twitter has deleted tweets and videos from President Muhammadu Buhari, who has threatened to punish a separatist organization called IPOB in the southeast of the country.
After Bukhari blamed her for the attack on the government building, the threat emerged. He recalled the events of the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960s that seemed to offend many Nigerians.
Buhari was head of state and served in the anti-secession army in the 1980s, saying that young Nigerians in the country's southeast were too young to remember the terrible events of the war.
According to him, the current activities of the separatists are likely to be war-oriented.
Twitter ban:
Twitter decided to delete this tweet because it violated its abuse policy and Nigerians have repeatedly requested that it be deleted.
Twitter also suspended the president's account, leaving it in read-only mode for 12 hours.
According to her decision, the Minister of Information and Culture referred to the social media giant. He said his decision is biased and the president has the right to express his view on events affecting the country.
It also cast doubt on the platform's intentions in the country. "Twitter can have its own rules," he said. But it is not a universal law. Twitter's mission in Nigeria is highly questionable.
Nigeria has begun discontinuing the platform's operations in the country. Please note that this social media company does not have an office in the country.
While social media has not yet been banned, the current Nigerian government is no stranger to restricting access to the Internet or to certain websites or social media.
The ban was one of the tactics used in the EndSARS protests that rocked the country in October 2020.
"The announcement by the Nigerian government that it will stop Twitter's activities in Nigeria is deeply concerning," Twitter said. We're investigating and will provide an update when we know more.
While many believed that social media companies would choose Nigeria, Twitter chose Ghana as their African headquarters.