Twitter mistakenly labels Norway, its Prime Minister and Foreign Minister as Nigerians, internet mocks Gaffe

Norway’s Foreign Ministry pointed out the bizarre mix-up

In an embarrassing blunder, Twitter mislabeled the accounts of Norway’s Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister as “Nigerian government organizations and officials.” Elon Musk’s social media site labeled Norway’s Foreign Ministry a “Nigerian government organization,” while Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Store and Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt were also mischaracterized.

In a sarcastic tweet, Norway’s foreign ministry pointed out the bizarre mix-up and complained on Twitter Tuesday about being labeled as an organization representing Nigeria. They tweeted that while they enjoy “excellent bilateral relations” and “alphabetical proximity” to Nigeria, they would prefer to be referred to as Norway.

The tweet reads: “Dear @TwitterSupport, As much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relationship and close alphabetical proximity to Nigeria, we would really appreciate it if you could refer to us as Norway. PS The same goes for Prime Minister @jonasgahrstore and Foreign Minister @AHuitfeldt.”

See the tweet here:

darling @Twitter SupportAs much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relations and close alphabetical proximity to Nigeria, we would be delighted if you could refer to us as Norway😉

PS This also applies to prime ministers @jonasgahrstore and foreign minister @AHuitfeldt 🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/wr6cb3yv2W

— Norway MFA (@NorwayMFA) December 13, 2022

Notably, Twitter places labels and small flag icons on some accounts to signal affiliation with governments. Recently, the site has also been plagued by automated mis-tagging of tweets.

Meanwhile, netizens were quick to take notice of the faux pas and mock Twitter with hilarious memes and jokes. Many poked fun at the company’s increased reliance on account verification automation after Elon Musk laid off about half its employees. One user jokingly said, “You must have fired the one guy who knows how to find both countries on the map.” Another commented, “Good luck getting an answer from support. This office is probably only equipped with an answering machine at this point.”

A third wrote: “Now that Norway is an annex of Nigeria my Nigerian passport should now at least allow me free entry into Norway. No?” Another said: “Norway and Nigeria are now united through Twitter and oil.” A fifth wrote: “Norway, Nigeria…. Both begin with the letter N. That’s below musk by current Twitter standards.”