Twitter says engagement with Buhari regime respectful, productive
Twitter on Monday said its talks with the Buhari administration to address the lingering statement over restoration of its services in Nigeria have been respectful and productive.
“Discussions with the Nigerian government have been respectful and productive – we look forward to seeing the service restored very soon,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement to Peoples Gazette on Monday evening. “We continue to engage with the Nigerian government to discuss why Twitter has been blocked and ways to resolve the matter. We are committed to charting a path forward to the restoration of Twitter for everyone in Nigeria.”
The statement comes a day after the controversial ban hit 100 days, with rights activists expressing fears that the regime was not in a hurry to rescind its action and allow the constitutional rights of Nigerians prevail.
Telecom operators were asked to block access to the microblogging platform with effect from June 4 in an announcement by information minister Lai Mohammed. Twitter initially criticised the move as repressive and incompatible with the modern times, Other Western diplomatic missions including the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, also registered their displeasure and demanded immediate reversal of the decision.
Mr Buhari however dug his heels in, with several of his political appointees claiming the social media giant erred substantially when it deleted the president’s tweets that apparently called for violence against ethnic Igbo citizens of Nigeria.
Administration officials also said Twitter must be registered in Nigeria before its services would be restored, a demand that Twitter insiders told The Gazette would be difficult to accept.
In July, the government raised a group of several ministers, including Mr Mohammed and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, to interface with Twitter over the matter. Some of the officials traveled to the U.S., but did not disclose much as to the extent of their success.
At one point, Mr Mohammed claimed Twitter had accepted to register as a business and open offices in Nigeria, but a Twitter spokesperson swiftly debunked the minister’s claim in an email to The Gazette.
The comments again cast Mr Mohammed in his notorious spectre of propaganda, with Nigerians saying he made the false announcement as a way to buy additional time for the government or safe face in the event that the ban was reluctantly lifted.
Pro-regime commentators have insisted that Twitter and other social media outlets must not be allowed to control what Nigerians can do online, and definitely shouldn’t be policing the president’s posts, which they described as innocuous and even reconciliatory towards the Igbos.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Husband of missing police officer seeks IGP’s intervention
The husband said Mrs Ruth and four of her colleagues went missing on February 13 after an ambush during their official assignment to Abia.
World
Cardiologist gets four-year jail term over deaths of two patients
The cardiologist was found guilty of manslaughter by a court in Berlin after determining he was responsible for killing the two patients.
NationWide
Suleja Jailbreak: Coalition seeks tight security measures, modernisation of custodial facilities
The coalition said there was an urgent need to examine the root causes of jailbreaks and other related issues bedevilling the country’s custodial facilities.
World
Iran arresting, detaining women over head covering: UN
The country’s morality police had announced stricter checks some weeks ago, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
World
Ukraine receives bodies of 140 fallen soldiers from Russia
It is not yet known whether and how many dead soldiers Russia has received from Ukraine.
Education
ASUU urges Sokoto govt to pay state varsity workers’ outstanding allowances
The ASUU-SSU also called on the Sokoto State government to settle the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) owed to its members.