Published 14th Jan, 2022

By Emmanuel Uti

It was not surprising that supporters and agencies of the federal government of Nigeria started using Twitter following the lifting of an eight-month-old ban by the federal government on Wednesday.

Government organisations stopped using the app in June 2021 and returned with different welcome-back tweets hours after the ban was removed, but Nigerians welcomed them with damning remarks.

Here are some ways the organisations got back on Twitter after a long break.

NTA

The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was the first to tweet.

“We Are Back After #TwitterBan Lifted,” NTA tweeted at 7:27 am on Thursday, but the reactions that followed showed that Nigerians were not happy with the organisation.

This ratio is clearer than your station.
— Marvin the Paranoid Android🇦🇷 (@Boboye_Ak) January 13, 2022

Not like ur page is of any relevance to Nigerians tho
— OMOTAYO Of Lagos 💥 (@Tee_Classiquem1) January 13, 2022

Who is we
— Pamilerin Adegoke (@UnclePamilerin) January 13, 2022

You people are irrelevant
— Oluwafunmilayo🇳🇬 (@FunmiKolz) January 13, 2022

You were never here
— Lola Okunrin (@lollypeezle) January 13, 2022

You have never been useful and you’ll never be useful
— valking ♔ (@_VALKlNG) January 13, 2022

NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was mute on Twitter until Thursday.

Nigerians gave the NCDC a piece of their minds when it tweeted “#Twitter is back! And so are we!”

Staying off Twitter was not a wrong move for a health agency. See NCDC’s tweets and the reactions of Nigerians below:

It's so unfortunate that everyone, without exception, suffers when there is poor governance.

It's a crying shame that you guys couldn't reach out to Nigerians, via @Twitter, through the 3rd & 4th waves of the Covid 19 pandemic due to the senseless #TwitterBan.
— Viscount of the East (@IykayUjah) January 13, 2022

So our health didn't matter this past 7 months? We virtually battled Omicron without you guys, you smell nice sir/ma
— Obinna (@meetobinna) January 13, 2022

https://twitter.com/Angela201045315/status/1481717515478831110

But Covid never went on break. https://t.co/R5IZUsFdNs
— Oluwajare (@IamJLordz) January 13, 2022

NPF

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was ‘dragged’ for tweeting without a “welcome back” greeting. See reactions below:

Welcome back to tweeter. Stop taking bribe. The citizens are your friends
— Busa 🇳🇬 (@Afanekong) January 13, 2022

No welcome back greeting? You just post like that!
— Prince Adeshina (@RealAdeshina) January 13, 2022

Una no fit even greet person, you just come gbam begin post postal. Make una dey observe courtesy small small na
— JustMe (@YoungbauseLarry) January 13, 2022

This ratio commission is better
— samad🦸 (@ojodudemon) January 13, 2022

CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was not exempted from the wrath of Nigerians.

“It’s good to be back,” the bank had tweeted.

“You were not missed,” someone replied. “We did our thing regardless of the ban.”

You were not missed. We did our thing regardless of the ban.
— Влади́мир Ильи́ч Улья́нов (@OluwafemiMaduka) January 13, 2022

Here are other reactions:

We were here without all of una… We no go ANYWHERE 😂
— Mr BayNayDict💎 (@LordEnyinnaya) January 13, 2022

What good would your coming back do?
None!!
— Taiwo Omoifoh (Tayelolu) (@Tehila_O) January 13, 2022

When you left, Naira was 370, it's 570 now. 🤡
Send this to Godwin.
— Technicalities (@Oka4Nwa) January 13, 2022

If indeed "it's GOOD to be back," then it must have been "BAD to have been locked away".

Have the courage to tell @MBuhari so.
— Temitope Oyetomi (@oyetomi) January 13, 2022

EFCC

It appeared Nigerians were ready for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tweet about corruption. The EFCC’s first tweet after the ban was “#SayNoToCorruption” and “TowardsABetterNigeria”.

Nigerians immediately asked the EFCC for an update on Ibrahim Magu, its former chairman, whose reign as head of the antigraft agency was marred by corruption.

How far Magu matter
— OLUMUYIWA. A. O 🇨🇦 (@muyi_technologi) January 13, 2022

https://twitter.com/NurudeanOye/status/1481548391603707905

You never solve the mystery of the bullion van yet o
— O'Kingsley (@Kaymarch6) January 13, 2022

The federal government had lifted the ban on Twitter, exactly 223 days after imposing an indefinite ban on the micro-blogging website in Nigeria.

Inuwa Abdullahi, chairman, Technical Committee, Nigeria-Twitter Engagement, and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), announced the president’s decision on Wednesday.

Although the lifting was to take effect from 12 am on Thursday, Nigerians could not access Twitter until much later.

Share on Social Media