Twitter ban sends poor message to investors, US tells Nigeria

The United States government has said the ban on Twitter in Nigeria sends a poor message to investors and businesses.

The Nigerian government had on Friday announced the indefinite suspension of the operations of the microblogging and social networking platform in the country, days after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari which it said violated its rules.

The US Mission Nigeria, in a statement on Saturday, said, “Nigeria’s constitution provides for freedom of expression. The government’s recent #Twitterban undermines Nigerians’ ability to exercise to exercise this fundamental freedom and sends a poor message to its citizens, investors and businesses.

“Banning social media and curbing every citizen’s ability to seek, receive, and impart information undermines fundamental freedoms. As President Biden has stated, our need for individual expression, open public conversation, and accountability had never been greater.”

According to the US government, the path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less conversation, alongside concerted efforts towards unity, peace and prosperity.”