Finally, Twitter surrenders to FG, opens door to regulate Facebook, others

Twitter has agreed to all the conditions the federal government gave the microblogging platform tocontinue operating in Nigeria after Presidet Muhammadu Buhari suspended in in June.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, stated this on Channels TV.

According to him, the reason the president suspended Twitter is to recalibrate Nigeria’s relationship with the US-based tech platform.

“That recalibration, we have started it and the President graciously added me to the committee.

“We also set up a technical committee to interface with Twitter and come up with a lot of conditions for them to fulfill for us to lift the suspension.

“It was Twitter that reached out to the Federal Government to say they want to know what and what they can do to straighten up the relationship with the Federal Government and so, we have gone far but I may not, at this forum, let out a lot but we gave them a lot of conditions and they have agreed to all the conditions.”

Among the condition Buhari set for the platform are: Twitter paying attention to national security and cohesion; registering its physical presence and representation in Nigeria; Fair taxation; Dispute resolution and Local content.

And Information Minister Lai Mohammed has said on many occasion that whatever conditions apply to Twitter will eventually apply to other platforms, including Facebook, You-Tube, and others.

The Twitter surrender also has implication for the legal battles hundreds of internet activists, including SERAP and individuals, are waging against the federal government on social media regulation.