Mixed reactions have continued to greet Federal government of Nigeria’s lifting of suspension on the ban on the famous micro blogging platform, Twitter, on Wednesday, seven months after.

Unlike the popular outcry that greeted the suspension order, announcement of the lifting of the ban was greeted with lukewarm attitude with little or no excitement. The reason for this is not farfetched as many Nigerians have sought other ways to maintain their presence on Twitter while the suspension lasted. The ban was less effective.

Some Nigerians felt government decided to lift the suspension so as to be able to use the platform for the upcoming 2023 elections. Some believe that Twitter has not fully complied with the conditions set by government to lift the suspension.

In a statement issued by the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi on Wednesday:

“The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) directs me to inform the public that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12am tonight, 13th January 2022. The approval was given following a memo written to the President by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim,” the statement added.

In the Memo, the Minister was said to have updated and requested the President’s approval for the lifting based on the Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement’s recommendation.

In response, Twitter expressed delight at the restoration of its services for everyone in Nigeria, noting that its mission in the country and around the world is to serve the public conversation.

This is contained in a post made by Twitter while announcing its official return as well as assuring the Federal Government of its commitment to driving civic participation.

Twitter in its statement also said that it is deeply committed to Nigeria, where the social media platform is used by people for commerce, cultural engagement and civic participation.

“We are pleased that Twitter has been restored for everyone in Nigeria. Our mission in Nigeria and around the world is to serve the public conversation.

“We are deeply committed to Nigeria, where Twitter is used by people for commerce, cultural engagement, and civic participation.
“We’re committed to integrating diverse perspectives that make our service better for everyone.

The micro blogging platform was suspended in Nigeria after President Buhari’s tweet on military operations in the South-East was deleted and for persistent use of the platform for activities that were deemed capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

Announcing the suspension of the ban, the Chairman Technical Committee Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the Technical Committee engaged and worked directly with the Twitter team to resolve the issue, as the process of resolving the impasse between the Federal Government and Twitter had helped lay a foundation for a mutually beneficial future with endless possibilities.

The Federal Government after the suspension set up a dialogue team led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, to interface with Twitter on the way forward.

The government and Twitter have been in negotiations since over restoring the service based on a set of conditions, including Twitter registering its operations in Nigeria.

Several telecommunication networks operating in Nigeria have started advising their customers on how to get back on Twitter using their networks.