The Federal Government claims it has no plans to outlaw any social media sites, but it will not tolerate any tactics that can destabilize the nation.
Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, made this statement on Thursday when delivering the performance evaluation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration from 2015 to 2022.
The minister mentioned that the Federal Government is keeping an eye on Twitter under Elon Musk’s new ownership at the press briefing in Abuja.
Hours after its launch, Musk “Kills” a new Twitter label.
“Allow me to quickly address a topic that has recently drawn a lot of media attention. Many of your coworkers have contacted us to inquire about the future of our contract with Twitter in light of the company’s ownership shift, the minister said.
Many people have asked for our opinion in response to allegations that the amount of fake news, misinformation, and hate speech has increased since the microblogging site’s ownership changed.
“Many people have even asked us if there would be another ban. Let me say this: We are keeping a careful eye on Twitter’s changing developments. We have never intended to restrict free expression or outlaw any social media network. In no way. Everyone is aware of what transpired in the case of Twitter.
“Twitter became a preferred venue for individuals looking to undermine Nigeria via false information, hate speech, and fake news. No country will consent to have its social media system devolve into anarchy. Not Nigeria, by any means.
“However, we have continued to interact favourably with the other social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google (the owner of YouTube). We don’t want to prohibit any social media sites once more. However, we also won’t stand idly by and watch while any platform plunges our country into chaos.
Nigeria banned Twitter last year after alleging that it was used to disseminate false information and hate speech. However, once the social networking company acceded to the government’s demands, the action was reversed in January.
