Nigeria to Lift Twitter Ban - With Conditions
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After banning Twitter in Nigeria in June, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari proposes lifting the ban off Nigeria - under certain conditions.
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After a ban that has sparked outrage - both internally and externally - president Buhari makes a different decision.
In an Independence Day broadcast in front of over 200 million people, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the ban on Twitter in his country, which he issued in June. The decision to lift the ban has been taken.
However, the lifting of the ban has its conditions: some of those entail "positive use" and registration in Nigeria. He said, “the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements.”
The banning of Twitter was in response to the media wave of criticism and breach of sovereignty and legitimacy to Buhari and his governance. However, to many, the move was denounced as a suppression of free speech and democratic values.
One of the conditions that Nigeria set on the table is for Twitter to pay taxes, in addition to respecting certain values: Buhari explained that he remained committed to “ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety.”
The June ban was announced after Buhari threatened Nigerian separatists by treating them with a "language they will understand." However, Nigerian officials refuted that the ban was due to the post, which then got deleted.
To deal with the ban, Nigerians downloaded virtual private networks (VPNs) to get by; however, businesses and official entities on which the Nigerian economy thrives have abided by the ban.
Estimates show that for every hour without Twitter, the Nigerian government may be $251,000 in loss - the ban has lasted for more than 100 days.
