The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has condemned the action of the microblogging site Twitter of playing a game of double standard on issues affecting Nigeria.
The Minister described the role of the social media giant in Nigeria as not been reasonable stating that the company is playing a controversial role.
Lai Mohammed made these statements on Tuesday while reacting to some of the questions that erupted when President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet was deleted.
Recall, on Tuesday, Twitter deleted President Buhari’s post for violating its rules after he has tweeted to remind Nigerians of the experiences during the civil war while also cautioned secessionists in the Southeast.
It was gathered that the President in a series of tweets on Tuesday, via his verified Twitter handle, @MBuhari, had tweeted “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.”
The Minister while commenting on the action made by the social media giant, explained that the company had conveniently ignored all the inciting tweets by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and his associates.
The Minister accused Twitter of exposing the President’s tweet as abusive stating that the company has displayed prejudices the same way it does during the #ENDSARS protest where government and private properties were destroyed and looted all in the name of the right to protest.
According to Lai Mohammed in his explanation said “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 organization is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed.
Also, the Minister criticized the company for playing double standards in its operations stating that any organization that gives directives to its members, to attack police stations, kill policemen, attack correctional centers to kill warders, and you are now saying that Mr. President does not have the right to express his disappointment and bitterness, then you are the ones guilty of double standards.
He correspondingly said there is no way one can justify the killing of policemen or anybody by whatever name, according to him there is nowhere in the world where an organization or a person will stay somewhere outside Nigeria and decrees to its members to attack the symbols of government most especially when that organization has been proscribed
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