Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has stated that the Muhammadu Buhari administration suspended Twitter (now 𝕏) because of the dangers posed by unregulated social media activity.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Lai Mohammed disclosed that prior to the suspension, 𝕏 was not registered in Nigeria to do business.
He stated that the agreement eventually reached with the social media platform justified the suspension.
Referring to his book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Define an Administration, he said it documents the correspondence between Nigeria and Twitter before the ban was lifted.
He said, “When you go through this book, you’ll see all the correspondence between us and Twitter. The agreement that was signed showed that prior to that time, Twitter was not even registered in Nigeria to do business, talk less of paying taxes.
“You can find out from the NCC and other parastatals that the agreement they signed with us is contained in this book. It’s evident that, yes, we did the right thing.”
According to him, the government’s action was not driven by ego or political vendetta but by concerns over national cohesion and the dangers posed by unregulated social media activity.
“It’s because there is a country called Nigeria, that’s where there’s all kinds of freedom. You must not push that to the extent that you are going to set one part of the country against the other.
“It got to a stage that social media was becoming dangerous to everyone, unlike the television, radio or newspaper, where you have the gatekeepers,” he said.
Mohammed traced the government’s concerns as far back as 2017, when he began publicly campaigning against fake news, hate speech and disinformation.
He explained that several engagements were held with media stakeholders and social media companies, stressing that the government initially sought self-regulation rather than legislation.
“I think it was 2017 when I started the campaign against fake news and disinformation. I followed that up in my visit to media houses to assist us in combating the dangers of fake news, hate speeches and disinformation.
“We invited several of these microblogs to plead with them that there should be self-regulation. We were not even thinking of a law to stifle the media. But we were concerned that an unregulated social media was dangerous to society,” he said.
The ex-minister added that some platforms eventually became tools for individuals seeking to undermine Nigeria’s unity and stability, despite repeated warnings from the government.