Reps members reject motion to lift Twitter ban

THE House of Representatives has rejected a motion asking the federal government to lift the suspension on Twitter as a result of its negative economic impact on Nigerians, who depend on it for their livelihood.

The lawmakers took the decision at the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, while considering the report of its joint Committee that investigated the suspension of the micro-blogging site by the Federal government.

During the consideration of the report, the deputy minority leader, Toby Okechukwu, had proposed that the government should take cognisance of the negative effect of the Twitter suspension on Nigerians who earn their living through the platform and lift the suspension.

However, when the deputy speaker, Idris Wase, who chaired the committee, put the question to the house, majority of members voted against the proposal.

Twitter has expressed readiness to meet with the government so as to come to an agreement over the regulation of its usage by Nigerians.

The social media platform was banned in Nigeria after it deleted a tweet by President Buhari some weeks ago.