Nigeria has lifted a ban on Twitter after the social media giant agreed to open a local office, appoint a country head and pay taxes in Nigeria in the West African country.
The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4, 2021 after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.
Telecommunications companies in Nigeria subsequently blocked access to Twitter users in Nigeria on the orders of the government.
Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency in Nigeria, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said in a statement that Buhari had given approval to lift the suspension.
“Twitter has agreed to act with a respectful acknowledgement of Nigerian laws and the national culture and history on which such legislation has been built…,” the statement said.
The company would also work with the federal government and the broader industry “to develop a code of conduct in line with global best practices, applicable in almost all developed countries”, it said.
“Therefore, the federal government lifts the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of 13 January 2022,” the statement said.
Abdullahi, who also chaired a joint technical committee of Nigerian and Twitter officials, said the US company agreed to appoint a country representative to engage with Nigerian authorities and comply with local tax obligations.
