President Muhammadu Buhari has set up Federal Government team to engage management of American microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, over suspension placed on the social media platform operation across the country.
He explained that the approved team and decision to dialogue followed Twitter’s management request for negotiation and lifting of the indefinite suspension imposed on its operations across the country.
The president listed those on the list to include Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who would chair the team, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Honourable Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
Others that made the list contained in a statement on Tuesday and released by Lai Mohammed on behalf of the president are Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babajide Fashola; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; as well as other relevant government agencies.
As gathered, part of the criteria that would be put forward by the Nigerian government before allowing Twitter to resume operation in the country would include mandating payment of taxes for owners of other social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others used by Nigerians to communicate and transact businesses.
It would be recalled that the apex government placed an indefinite suspension on operations of the social networking service, following its decision to pull down Buhari’s tweet and videos on the civil war that ended in the country 50 years ago.
Justifying its action, the government said that decisions to place a suspension on operations of the social networking service across the country were reached after it became obvious that the platform was been used to portray the government badly.
As gathered, the apex government actions were taken after the president’s tweet and videos on Nigeria’s Civil War posted on his official Twitter handle were pulled down by the microblogging company after receiving petitions from other users that requested the comment and videos be deleted considering negative effects it was having on them.
Announcing the ban on operations, the Minister of Information and Culture alleged that the foreign firm has allowed its platform to be used for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
