Why It Was Tough For Buhari To Suspend Twitter – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said it was tough for the Muhammadu Buhari administration to suspend Twitter operations.

Mohammed, who spoke at the meeting of Information Managers of APC Government in Lagos on Thursday, said the decision to suspend Twitter was tough because most Nigerian youths use the platform for business.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Recall that the Federal Government suspended, indefinitely, the operations of microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture had announced the suspension in a statement signed by his media aide Segun Adeyemi

The minister cited the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.