Published 4th Jun, 2021

Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, has announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.

The announcement was made through the Twitter account of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture on Friday evening in a statement issued in Abuja.

Lai stated that Twitter had become a platform “for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”. He directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to commence the process of licensing of all social media operations in Nigeria.

The ban comes after a tweet and video posted by President Buhari’s handle was deleted by Twitter for threatening harm against a section of the country.

On April 12, Twitter chose Ghana as the country to establish its presence in Africa. Twitter, in its press release had stated that it chose Ghana for being a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet.

Twitter further said: “Ghana’s recent appointment to host The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa”.

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