Lai Mohammed
By Our Reporter
The federal government says it is suspicious of Twitter’s mission in Nigeria after the social media giant deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very very suspect. Has Twitter deleted the violent tweets that Nnamdi Kanu has been sending? Has it?,” Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, told journalists in Abuja Wednesday.
Many Nigerians had criticised President Buhari for the Wednesday tweet which appeared to be targeted at Igbos.
“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” the president wrote.
His reference to the civil war caused controversy with the president’s handlers saying he was only referring to violent insurrectionists attacking public officials and institutions in the are
Lai Mohammed’s full speech on the matter below.
On Twitter deleting President’ tweets on Biafra
Twitter may have its own rules, it’s not the universal rule. If Mr. President, anywhere in the world feels very bad and concern about a situation, he is free to express such views. Now, we should stop comparing apples with oranges. If an organisation is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed. Two, any organisation that gives directives to its members, to attack police stations, to kill policemen, to attack correctional centres, to kill warders, and you are now saying that Mr. President does not have the right to express his dismay and anger about that? We are the one guilty of double standards. I don’t see anywhere in the world where an organisation, a person will stay somewhere outside Nigeria, and will directs his members to attack the symbols of authority, the police, the military, especially when that organisation has been proscribed. By whatever name, you can’t justify giving orders to kill policemen or to kill anybody you do not agree with.
The mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very very suspect. Has Twitter deleted the violent tweets that Nnamdi Kanu has been sending? Has it? The same Twitter during the ENDSARS protests that was funding ENDSARS protesters, it was the first to close the account of former president of US, Trump. And you see, when people were burning police stations and killing policemen in Nigeria during ENDSARS, for Twitter, it was about the right to protest. But when a similar thing happened on the Capitol, it became insurrection. You see, we are not going to be be fooled by anybody. We have a country to rule and we will do so to the best of our ability. Twitter mission in Nigeria citing those two examples is very suspect. What is their agenda?
How does Mr. President speech that anybody who is destroyed infrastructure, who is destroying police offices, who is destroying INEC offices should be ready for the consequences, Is that inciting violence?
Asked why Shiek Gumi whose comment that has been justifying Boko Haram actions has not been picked,
He said: you are gain mixing things. If an organisation is proscribed abinitio, that organization does not exist in that country. There are many Nigerians, for instance, who have been inciting people against government.
