OM GOSSIP:2021 IN REVIEW: 4 Unpopular Decisions Of Buhari's Government That Nigerians Kicked Against

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 As 2021 draws to a close, we review some of the policies of a government that have turned out to be very unpopular with the populace.

These decisions, ranging from the ban of Twitter and crypto, and the planned removal of the subsidy on petrol products put President Buhari's administration in a bad light.

Ban on Twitter

Chief amongst these policies is the indefinite suspension of social-blogging site, Twitter, and its operations in the country.

The suspension came two days after Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari that was widely perceived as offensive.

In that tweet on Tuesday, the Nigerian leader threatened to deal with people in the country's southeast, who he blames for the recurring attacks on public infrastructure in the region.

"Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand," Buhari wrote in the now-deleted tweet, referring to the brutal two-year Nigeria-Biafra war, which killed an estimated one to three million people, mostly from the Igbo tribe in the eastern part of the country between 1967-1970.

The tweet was deleted Wednesday after many Nigerians flagged it to Twitter and the platform said it had violated its policy on abusive behavior.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed criticized Twitter's action and accused the social media giant of "double standards."

Mohammed also questioned Twitter's motives in Nigeria, saying, "the mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very very suspect..."

However, during Nigeria's Independence Celebration, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the conditional lifting of the Twitter ban  Buhari said Twitter must meet the Nigerian government’s five conditions before the suspension of the social media platform will be lifted.

He listed the conditions to include the fact that Twitter must pay attention to national security and cohesion; registration, physical presence, and representation in Nigeria; fair taxation; dispute resolution, and local content.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Since this announcement, Twitter users in the country have continued to be shut out of social media.