The Federal Government has suspended operations of social media giant, Twitter, in Nigeria.
This is according to a statement signed by Segun Adeyemi, Media Adviser to the Minister of Information and Strategy, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Although the statement does not indicate so, the development might not be unconnected with Twitter’s action of pulling down a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari, after it generated an uproar as it was viewed to be insensitive to the Igbo.
Buhari had tweeted on the violence rocking parts of the South-East and the experience of the Biafra war.
Meanwhile, the statement closing Twitter operations read:
FG Suspends Twitter’s Operations in Nigeria
The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday,
citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
Segun Adeyemi
Special Assistant To The President (Media)
Office of the Minister of Information and Culture
Abuja
