By our correspondent
The Federal Government, Monday, dismissed claims that microblogging site Twitter did not partake in the series of negotiations that led to the lifting of its suspension by the Nigerian government recently.
Recall that the Nigerian government had suspended Twitter on June 4 after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.
The suspension took effect from June 5 2021 to January 13 2022 when the government of Nigeria officially banned Twitter, restricting it from operating in the country.
However, after a series of negotiations between both parties, including for Twitter to set up a local office and play by the local rules, the federal government accordingly lifted the suspension of the Twitter operations in Nigeria from midnight of January 13, 2022.
The Nigerian government in a reaction in Abuja yesterday picked holes with requests from sections of the media seeking response to the published allegation credited to a former Twitter staff that Twitter did not negotiate with the Nigerian Government in the wake of the suspension of the microblogging site.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said in an opening remark at the President Muhammadu Buhari Scorecard series that the claim is ludicrous.
He said 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 4 2021 because of its persistent use for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
He said “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 the extensive negotiation. A copy of that letter is displayed on the screens here and will be made available to gentlemen of the press.”
The Minister added that after the letter, the Federal Government announced its team to discuss with Twitter. The team, chaired by the Minister of Information and Culture, also comprised the Attorney General of the Federation and Honourable Minister of Justice, Honourable Ministers of Communications and Digital Economy; Foreign Affairs as well as Works and Housing, Honourable Minister of State for Labour and Employment and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency.
He said following the composition of the FG team, it 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 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, “ he said.
He said also that 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.
He stated that with the facts that he had supplied, 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.
