The federal Government has met with some of the top envoys of various Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria.
The meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Envoys present at the meeting included those of Canada, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.
The meeting was occasioned by the recent Twitter ban and the envoys’ reactions to the indefinite suspension of the microblogging platform in the country.
Speaking after the meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama said they had a fruitful deliberation and reviewed the situation.
According to the minister, the security concerns of President Muhammadu Buhari and the steps taken to address them were also tabled.
Still in his remarks, Onyeama noted that the government acknowledges the roles social media plays and it swings positively and negatively, and stressed that the negative aspect has dire consequences and can threaten the unity of the country.
The minister further stated that these concerns have brought about the strong steps taken by the president to maintain the nation’s unity.
Regarding the ban, Onyeama said the duration of the Twitter suspension, cannot be determined in the meantime adding that the responsibility of the government in a democracy is to protect law, order, and human lives.
He highlighted the need for the envoys to support the country on the Twitter ban, just as they lent their support to fixing the security crisis.
On her part, the US Ambassador, Mary-beth Leonards who spoke on behalf of other envoys, said they want to see Nigeria succeed, and while the challenges could be daunting, they aren’t insurmountable.
She reminded the government that free access to social media, is important and they are happy that the government, is in talks with Twitter.
The diplomatic missions had on Saturday said they were let down by the decision to suspend Twitter operations in Nigeria.
The diplomatic missions of Canada, the European Union (Delegation to Nigeria), the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America conveyed their disappointment over the Government of Nigeria’s announcement suspending Twitter and proposing registration requirements for other social media Apps through a joint statement from the missions on Saturday.
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