FG Commences Talks With Twitter Over Suspension

The Ambassador of the United States of America to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, has revealed that the federal government is holding talks with Twitter over the suspension of its platform in the country.

The news was revealed by Leonard during a closed-door meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister Godfrey Onyeama, ambassadors, and representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and the EU in Nigeria.

Speaking on the Twitter suspension, Onyeama had said that it was in the interest of national security and peace, stressing that the objective was to advocate for the responsible use of social media platforms that would not destabilize the peace and unity of the nation.

Godfrey Onyeama/Image Source: Getty Images

Leonard thanked the Minister for inviting them to the meeting while expressing satisfaction that the federal government and Twitter were currently in dialogue.

She stated that the representatives were strong partners of Nigeria on issues of security and that they aware of the daunting task on the issues of security confronting the country.

Leonard was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as saying: "We recognise that there are issues of irresponsible use of social media, but we remain firm in our position that free access to the ability to express self is very important and perhaps more important in troubled times."

Speaking further, the US ambassador to Nigeria said many of the things Onyeama referred to (including incitements and violence) were crimes the federal government had a legitimate right to prosecute.

She called on the Buhari administration to use its judicial processes within the scope the scope of respect for human rights and the rule of law to restrain such behaviours.