“Nigerian Government May lift Twitter ban in a few days”- Information Minister

“Nigerian Government May lift Twitter ban in a few days”- Information Minister

The Federal Government of Nigeria is nearing completion of measures to lift its ban on the social microblogging network, Twitter, according to media reports. During a press briefing in Abuja this afternoon, the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, revealed that this had taken place.

Alhaji Mohammed talked to journalists following the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting (a gathering of the president and the federal ministers) in Abuja, which was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo and held in the country's capital.

The government's spokesperson, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told Reuters that the dialogue between the government and Twitter has progressed to a more advanced stage, with all issues of the discussion save three having been agreed upon. He claims the following:

"It is expected that the restriction on Twitter will be lifted soon, as we are moving closer to reaching a final deal. We have reached an agreement on a few points. Hopefully, we will be able to complete the project over the next few days or weeks.”

As previously reported, on June 4, the Nigerian government banned Twitter after it removed a message by President Muhammadu Buhari in which he threatened to punish regional secessionists. In addition, certain telecoms firms in the country have barred access to users in Nigeria.

The remark, which was removed by Twitter on June 2nd, made reference to the 1967-70 civil war in a way that the business deemed to be in violation of its "abusive behavior" policy, according to the firm.

According to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, the ban was imposed as a result of "the consistent use of the platform for actions that have the potential to undermine Nigeria's business existence," according to Mohammed.

Following that, the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, announced that citizens who violated the Twitter ban would be prosecuted, although this was not followed through on by the government. There have also been rumors that the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation has urged media organizations to avoid using the platform altogether.

Observers speculated that the lack of action could be related to a judgement by a West African court on June 22 that stated that the Nigerian authorities could not arrest anybody for using the site while a lawsuit attempting to reverse the ban was being examined.

National and international condemnation of the prohibition has been voiced by Nigerians as well as foreign ambassadors, human rights organizations, and other institutions. Also highly denounced is the fact that it appears to be in breach of Section 39 (1) of Nigeria's constitution, as well as Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which Nigeria has ratified and incorporated into national law.

Minister of Information message

After a few weeks, the minister of information informed journalists that Twitter had contacted authorities in the country regarding the recent ban imposed on the social media network. This laid the groundwork for a possible resolution of the impasse that may have resulted in today's announcement of the results of the investigation.

In Nigeria, there are over 40 million Twitter users, with an estimated 10 million users who are active on a daily basis. Following the restriction, several users have turned to virtual private networks (VPNs) to access Twitter, resulting in an estimated 1 million additional downloads of VPN applications.

Despite the fact that the government has boasted about the inevitability of Twitter's demise, reports have revealed that the ban has had a negative impact on the nation's economic health. Each day that the Twitter ban remains in effect costs Nigeria approximately N2.18 billion, according to NetBlocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cyber-security and internet administration.

According to the study, the Nigerian economy has suffered a loss of approximately N6.5 billion in the three days after the Twitter ban went into place, according to the report.