Decision To Suspend Twitter Was Tough – Lai Mohammed Confesses

Posted by Thandiubani on Thu 24th Jun, 2021 - tori.ng

He spoke on Thursday at the meeting of Information Managers of APC Government in Lagos on Thursday.

Lai Mohammed

The decision to suspend activities of Twitter in Nigeria was tough, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has admitted.

He spoke on Thursday at the meeting of Information Managers of APC Government in Lagos on Thursday.

He said the decision to suspend Twitter was tough because most Nigerian youths use the platform for business.

Recall that the Federal Government suspended the operation of Twitter in Nigeria, accusing the platform of allowing contents capable of threatening the corporate existence of the country.

Despite the ban, some Nigerians have continued to access the medium via the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN).

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday appointed a Federal Government’s team to engage with Twitter over the suspension of its operations in the country.

Mohammed said, “It [Twitter ban in Nigeria] was a tough decision to take, considering that many of our youths also use the platform for business. Such is the challenge posed by social media.

“At its request, the government has agreed to engage with Twitter and, hopefully, we can both chart a path forward without compromising our national interest. While many have accused us of stifling the press with the ban, we say Twitter is just one of many social media platforms being used by Nigerians.

“WhatsApp, which is most used by Nigerians, is there. And there is Facebook, Instagram, Google hangout, etc.”