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‘Most Conditions Have Been Accepted’—Buhari Government Hints On Lifting Twitter Suspension

Mohammed, who gave more details of the conditions given to the platform, said most of them had been accepted.

The Nigerian government on Wednesday hinted that the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria may soon be lifted following negotiations with the microblogging platform.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lal Mohammed, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

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Mohammed, who gave more details of the conditions given to the platform, said most of them had been accepted.

He said pending issues such as Twitter setting up an office in Nigeria and having country representatives are still being discussed.

The minister expressed confidence that everything would be resolved with Twitter within a few days or weeks while acknowledging the concerns of Nigerians.

He said the Nigerian government’s committee negotiating with Twitter would meet on the agreement soon to make recommendations.

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

The 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 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 use it every day.

Since the ban, many Nigerians have adopted Virtual Private Networks to use the platform in the country.