IPOB: Banning Facebook Will Be Foolish – Reno Omokri Tells FG

A former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri has warned the Muhammadu Buhari government against banning Facebook in the country.

Naija News had reported that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had a meeting with a team from Facebook on Tuesday in Abuja.

In the meeting, Mohammed asked the social media platform to prevent the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from inciting violence and ethnic hatred on the platform.

The minister said Facebook has no reason to allow its platform to be used by the outlawed group whose aim is to destabilise the country by purveying hate and inciting violence.

Mohammed, however, said the plan by the government to regulate social media is not an attempt to stifle the press or encroach on press freedom.

Reacting to the development, Omokri advised the Buhari government not to attempt to ban the social media platforms because Nigerians will bypass that ban via VPNs.

The former presidential aide added that the country will lose billions in revenue just like it lost a lot of money due to the earlier ban on Twitter.

In a tweet via his Twitter handle on Thursday, Omokri said: “It will be foolhardy for the Buhari junta to attempt banning Facebook. Nigerians will just bypass that ban via VPNs.

“We will lose billions in revenue at a time the Naira is trading at ₦600 to $1. Plus, elections are near. A lot of campaigning is done on FB. Think!”

It will be foolhardy for the Buhari junta to attempt banning Facebook. Nigerians will just bypass that ban via VPNs. We will lose billions in revenue at a time the Naira is trading at ₦600 to $1. Plus, elections are near. A lot of campaigning is done on FB. Think!#TableShaker

— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) May 18, 2022

Following the development, there were speculations that the federal government is planning to ban Facebook and other social media platforms.

But the Information Minister on Wednesday said the government does not have a plan to ban Facebook or any other social media platforms.