On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Chairman of the Technical Committee for Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), revealed in an official statement that the suspension of the Twitter Ban begins from midnight of January 13.
According to Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the President gave his approval after a memo was written to the President by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Ibrahim.
Here is an excerpt of the statement Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi made:
“The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from midnight tonight, January 13, 2022.
The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim. In the Memo, the Minister updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.”
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The Nigerian Government announced the sensational Ban on June 4, 2021, after Twitter deleted a tweet made by President Muhammed Buhari for “violation of the company’s abusive behavior policy.” The Ban was effected by all telecommunication companies in Nigeria by June 5, 2021.
Following the Ban, Nigerians turned to VPN apps to access Twitter, as many used the microblogging platform to promote their businesses and engage with potential customers. Reportedly, the shutdown resulted in about $250,600 losses daily.
The news was received with mixed feelings by many Nigerians as a lot already built a dependence on VPN networks to continue engagement on the app, among which were many government officials. While some were excited, most were largely indifferent.
It is, however, great news for businesses in Nigeria that rely heavily on Twitter engagement to reach their customers.
