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ABUJA. – Nigeria’s government has said it expects to end its ban on Twitter in a “few more days”, raising hopes among users eager to return to the social media platform three months after the suspension took effect.
The ban, announced in June, has hurt Nigerian businesses and drawn backlash among social media users and human rights activists for its damaging effect on freedom of expression and the ease of doing business in Africa’s most populous nation.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed told a post-cabinet media briefing on Wednesday the government was aware of the anxiety the ban had created.
“If the operation has been suspended for about 100 days now, I can tell you that we’re just actually talking about a few, just a few more days now,” Mohammed said, without giving a time frame.
When pressed further, Mohammed said authorities and Twitter officials had to “dot the I’s and cross the T’s” before reaching a final agreement.
“It’s just going to be very, very soon, just take my word for that,” he said. The government suspended Twitter in early June after the company removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists, which the social media giant said violated its rules. – Al JAzeera
Online Reporter