The minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has revealed that he will not rest until social media platforms are fully regulated.
The minister said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Washington, on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, stating that the dangers of fake news on social media must be taken seriously.
During the interview, the minister also debunks rumors about some online report which stated that he sneaked out of Nigeria to meet with Twitter executives’’ in the US.
According to the minister, he came to the US to meet with international media organizations and think tanks on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, and efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry, and all forms of criminality.
The minister during his visit to Washington, D.C. also engaged with the BBC, Bloomberg, and Politico, but said he hasn’t met with Twitter.
While debunking the online report of him sneaking out of the country, the minister said “Can a minister sneak out of Nigeria without people knowing? When you say I sneaked out of Nigeria, are you saying I went to board at a terminal where nobody is, or I traveled to the Republic of Benin to fly out of the country?” he asked.
“I was at an international airport, where I presented myself openly and I was checked in at the counter like every other traveler of the airline. I boarded and passed through the checks by the immigration service and customs.
How can you come and say I sneaked out of the country? You and I have been here, have I met with any Twitter official?
“When you talk about fake news and its dangers, we need to take it seriously, and I am happy that the entire world is now seeing what we saw more than two years ago. I can assure you that we will not rest until we regulate social media. Otherwise, nobody will survive it.”
Recall on June 4, the federal government announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria.
Although the suspension came hours after a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari was deleted, the federal government said the decision was as a result of “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
Recently, the federal government said it is in talks with the microblogging platform, adding that the suspension will be lifted soon.
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