Nigeria demands social media firms get local license
ABUJA: Social media firms wanting to operate in Nigeria must register a local entity and be licensed, the country’s information minister said on Wednesday, the government’s latest move since it banned Twitter last week.
“We are insisting that for you to operate in Nigeria you
must first be a Nigerian company and be licensed by the broadcasting
commission,” said Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s information minister, of social media
companies.
The new regulations will include conditions for continued
operation, Mohammed said, without elaborating. The move comes amidst what
critics say is a broader crackdown on freedom of expression in Africa’s most
populous country that has drawn comparisons to Nigeria’s decades of military
rule in the 20th century.
Nigeria’s government last week said it had suspended
Twitter’s activities, two days after the platform removed a tweet by President
Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish secessionists. Nigerian telecoms
firms have since blocked access to Twitter.
Buhari is a former military ruler.
Mohammed did not give a deadline for registration and
licensing, but said some firms were given notice, without naming the affected
companies. He did not respond to calls and a message seeking details.
“Twitter has consistently made its platform available to
those who are threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence,” said Mohammed, naming
a separatist leader and anti-police brutality protesters.
The minister said Facebook and its subsidiaries Instagram
and WhatsApp had not been suspended, but did not say whether they would need to
register and get a license.
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