Twitter To Open Nigerian Office In Q1 2022 — FG

Federal Government of Nigeria says that the microblogging site, Twitter, is expected to open its Nigerian office before the end of March 2022.

Gatekeepers News reports that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this when he appeared on a radio programme, the Radio Link, in Abuja.

Mohammed said the move is part of the agreement the company reached with the Federal Government last year to have the ban imposed on it lifted.

He reiterated that relevant laws and the broadcasting code would be amended to ensure that the agreement reached with Twitter was applicable to other social media platforms.

Mohammed said: “Twitter also agreed to comply with all payable taxes, as they are operating under Nigerian laws and this they agreed to do within one week of restoring their operations.

”Twitter agreed to immediately work with the Federal Government in the area of code of conduct, that was in line with global best practices

“Twitter agreed to immediately enroll Nigerians in its law enforcement portals and Partners Support Portal.

“The law enforcement portal will provide dedicated channels for the Nigerian law enforcement agencies to escalate reports on contents that violate the code of conduct or national laws.

“Similarly, the partner support portal provides a direct channel for government to engage Twitter staff to manage prohibited contents.

“We are going to regulate the social media not because we want to stifle the media or we want to violate the right of expression. We want to ensure that only wholesome contents are available on social media.

“Recently, we were all shocked when an 18-year old boy, accused of killing his 21-year old girlfriend for money rituals, confessed that he learnt the diabolical act on social media. The teenager, in collaboration with his friends, cut off the head of the victim and was burning it in a pot when they were apprehended.

“The government has the responsibility to ensure that social media platforms were responsible and the contents they displayed are not harmful to young people, as well as the unity of the country.”