Nigeria ends Twitter suspension after 7 months in Africa’s most populous nation

Nigeria will lift a ban on Twitter after the US social media company promised to “develop a code of conduct” in Africa’s most populous country, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4 after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.

Telecoms companies subsequently blocked access to users in Nigeria.

The company would 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 13th January 2022.”

Abdullahi, who also chaired a joint technical committee of Nigerian and Twitter officials, said the American company agreed to appoint a country representative to engage with Nigerian authorities and comply with local tax obligations.

US social media companies like Twitter and Facebook have been used as a tool by Washington to coordinate anti-government protests in countries that reject American foreign policy.

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