Nigeria Makes Its Debut On India's Koo As Twitter Seeks Dialogue With Govt After Ban

The National Broadcasting Commission of Nigeria has ordered that all local broadcasting stations cease using Twitter.

Representative Photo: Getty | Screenshot

New Delhi: Nigeria has joined India's Koo app after the country banned microblogging website Twitter. According to the Nigerian government, Twitter has made an approach for dialogue in an attempt to resolve the issues that led to its suspension in the West African country.

Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Information and Culture Minister, said he received a message from the microblogging platform on Wednesday morning, seeking a dialogue with the government. "They (Twitter) are now ready to hold senior-level discussions with us," he told reporters in Abuja.

The minister, on the other hand, stated that "Nigeria's sovereignty" is more important to the Nigerian government. It is insisting on Twitter and other social media platforms being officially registered.

"The cardinal thing is ... that Twitter must be licensed in Nigeria and Twitter must stop using its platform for activities that are inimical to the growth of Nigeria or to its corporate existence," Mohammed stated.

The National Broadcasting Commission of Nigeria has ordered that all local broadcasting stations cease using Twitter.

Nigerian authorities were enraged after Twitter removed a post by President Muhammadu Buhari because it allegedly violated the company's abusive behaviour policy. They responded with the ban, citing "the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence".

Aprameya Radhakrishna, co-founder and CEO of Koo, responded by tweeting, "Koo is available in Nigeria. We're thinking of enabling the local languages there too. What say?". He also shared a screenshot of the Nigerian languages.

He also stated that Koo is available in Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Senegal, Rwanda, the Philippines, Peru, and Paraguay, among other places.