President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a high-powered delegation to be led by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, to dialogue with Twitter over the recent ban placed on the microblogging and social networking platform in Nigeria.
The members of the team include the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Geoffrey Onyema.
Others are the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige as well as other relevant government agencies.
The Federal Government’s action follows a letter from Twitter to the President seeking to dialogue with the government over the suspension, with a view to finding a way forward.
The disclosure is contained in a statement issued from the office of the Minister of Information and Culture and announced by the Spokesman to the Minister, Segun Adeyemi, on Tuesday.
What the statement from the office of the Minister of Information and Culture is saying
The announcement from Segun Adeyemi reads, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of the Federal Government’s team to engage with Twitter over the recent suspension of the operations of the microblogging and social networking service in Nigeria.
The move follows Twitter’s letter to President Buhari seeking to engage with the Federal Government over the suspension, with a view to charting a path forward.”
What you should know
It can be recalled that earlier in June, the Federal Government suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely in the country citing double standards by the microblogging and social media platform, and the persistent use of the platform for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The suspension was announced, days after Twitter deleted a post by President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly violating its policy.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had also earlier announced that Twitter had expressed its readiness for an open discussion with the Federal Government over the matter.
