FG reveals Twitter implored Nigeria to lift suspension

Before Twitter was permitted to restart operations in the nation last year, the Nigerian government claims that there were numerous lengthy conversations between the two parties.

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information, provided the clarification in response to the assertion made by a former senior Twitter official that Nigeria and the firm had not been in contact regarding Nigeria's suspension from Twitter.

At a news conference held in Abuja on Monday morning, Mohammed said it was absurd to try to deny what happened between the two sides.

The Minister said: ” This claim is so ludicrous that one could just have ignored it. But the claim has continued to make the rounds online, hence our decision to clarify things, After all, it is said that if a lie is repeated often enough, people will believe it.

"Without mincing words, let me say that there was a long-drawn negotiation between Nigeria and Twitter, at the instance of the latter, following the suspension of the platform on June 4th 2021 because of its persistent use for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

“Seven days after the suspension, precisely on June 11th 2021, we received a letter, addressed to Mr. President, from Twitter’s Vice President in charge of Public Policy, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Sinead McSweeney, seeking to meet with us on the Twitter suspension.”That letter kick-started a number of activities that culminated in extensive negotiation.

The Federal Government announced its team to discuss with Twitter after receiving the letter. The Attorney General of the Federation, the Honourable Minister of Justice, the Honourable Ministers of Communications and the Digital Economy, Foreign Affairs, Works and Housing, the Honourable Minister of State for Labor and Employment, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency made up the team, which was presided over by the Minister of Information and Culture.

” Following the composition of our team, we received another letter from a group, Albright Stonebridge Group, which apparently was working at the behest of Twitter. The letter (which is also projected on the screens and is available to the media), named the Twitter team to enter into a discussion with Nigeria. The team was headed by Sinead Sweeney, Twitter’s Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, whom I mentioned earlier; Karen White, Senior Director, Public Policy, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa; Ronan Costello, Senior Public Policy

Manager, Africa, Europe, Middle East; Emmanuel Lubanzadio, Head of Public Policy, Sub-Saharan Africa; Jim Baker, Deputy General Counsel and Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Senior Adviser, Albright Stonebridge Group.

“The back-and-forth negotiation culminated in a series of agreements that paved the way for the lifting of the Twitter suspension in January this year. Gentlemen, with the facts that we have supplied, you can now see that the fellow who reportedly alleged that Twitter did not negotiate with Nigeria is either being economical with the truth or didn’t even understand the workings of the company where he worked,” Mohammed said.

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