The federal government has given a condition to lift its
indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.
Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, said at a
meeting with some envoys that Twitter’s operations in Nigeria will be restored
only if the platform can be used “responsibly”.
Asked when the ban will be lifted, Onyeama said there is no
definite timeline for that, but added: “The condition would be responsible use
of the social media and that really has to be it.”
“We are not saying that Twitter is threatening the country
or any such thing; why we have taken this measure is to stop them to be used as
platforms for destabilisation and facilitation of criminality or encouragement
of criminalities,” he also said.
At the meeting held in Abuja on Monday were the envoys of
the US, UK, Canada and the European Union, all of whom had condemned the
“indefinite” suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.
Despite the government’s claim that Twitter is being used to
undermine the existence of Nigeria, some have argued the suspension may be
connected to the company’s decision to delete President Muhammadu Buhari tweet
recently.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the envoys had
said: “We strongly support the fundamental human right of free expression and
access to information as a pillar of democracy in Nigeria as around the world
and these rights apply online as well as offline. Banning systems of expression
is not the answer.”
This prompted the federal government to invite them to the
meeting. After the parley held behind closed doors, Oneyema said both parties
had successful discussions on the issue.
IS NIGERIA SHIFTING
GROUND ON TWITTER’S SUSPENSION?
The minister said the government takes the comments of the
envoys “very seriously”, hence the decision to discuss the matter with them in
the “usual friendly way.”
He, however, insisted that the Buhari administration has to
keep an eye on its “main objective and legacy” which, according to him, is the
security of lives and property.
He said Nigeria will nowt sit back and watch social media
being used to “destabilise” the country, adding: “We want to use social media
for good.”
“Differences of opinion is not a problem; everybody will not
think alike,” Onyeama said.
“But lives matter; Nigerian lives matter and we have to do
everything we can to preserve Nigerian lives. And when we feel our goals are
threatened, actions need to be taken.”
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