President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he has directed a conditional lifting of the ban placed on Twitter, a microblogging and social networking service, in Nigeria.

Buhari disclosed this in his nationwide broadcast to mark the country’s 61st independence.

The President insisted that some users of Twitter have misused the platform to execute criminal activities and propagate fake news.

“Social media is a very useful platform that has enabled millions of Nigerians to connect with loved ones, promote their businesses, socialise, and access news and other information,” he said. “However, recent events have shown that the platform is not just an innocuous platform for information dissemination.”

He added that the Federal Government suspended Twitter to address these negative trends, noting that a presidential committee was constituted “to engage Twitter to explore the possibility of resolving the issue”.

“Following the extensive engagements, the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements,” he said.

“As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety.”