Ban: Twitter Agreement With Nigeria Shows Buhari’s Govt Did The Right Thing — Lai Mohammed

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has defended the suspension of Twitter (now X) in Nigeria, insisting that the agreement eventually reached with the social media platform justified the decision taken by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Mohammed stated this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The ex-minister argued that the conditions Twitter later agreed to fulfilled the government’s long-standing demands and validated its position.

Referring to his book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Define an Administration, he said it documents the correspondence between Nigeria and Twitter before the ban was lifted.

“When you go through this book, you’ll see all the correspondence between us and Twitter. The agreement that was signed showed that prior to that time, Twitter was not even registered in Nigeria to do business, talk less of paying taxes.

“You can find out from the NCC and other parastatals that the agreement they signed with us is contained in this book. It’s evident that, yes, we did the right thing,” he said.

According to him, the government’s action was not driven by ego or political vendetta but by concerns over national cohesion and the dangers posed by unregulated social media activity.

“It’s because there is a country called Nigeria, that’s where there’s all kinds of freedom. You must not push that to the extent that you are going to set one part of the country against the other.

“It got to a stage that social media was becoming dangerous to everyone, unlike the television, radio or newspaper, where you have the gatekeepers,” he said.

‘Unregulated Social Media’

Mohammed traced the government’s concerns as far back as 2017, when he began publicly campaigning against fake news, hate speech and disinformation.

He explained that several engagements were held with media stakeholders and social media companies, stressing that the government initially sought self-regulation rather than legislation.

“I think it was 2017 when I started the campaign against fake news and disinformation. I followed that up in my visit to media houses to assist us in combating the dangers of fake news, hate speeches and disinformation.

“We invited several of these microblogs to plead with them that there should be self-regulation. We were not even thinking of a law to stifle the media. But we were concerned that an unregulated social media was dangerous to society,” he said.

The ex-minister added that some platforms eventually became tools for individuals seeking to undermine Nigeria’s unity and stability, despite repeated warnings from the government.

Twitter Suspension Rationale

Responding to claims that Twitter was banned because it offended the political class, Mohammed dismissed the narrative, maintaining that the suspension followed long-standing engagements and unresolved regulatory concerns.

He revealed that when the decision to suspend Twitter was taken in June 2021, President Buhari asked only one question.

“When we took the decision to suspend the operations of Twitter, the President, God bless his soul, asked me only one question: do I have the capacity to do so? And I said yes.

“I discussed with my colleague, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. But the sole purpose why we suspended the operation of Twitter was because it was becoming reckless,” Mohammed stated.

Nigeria and Twitter reached an agreement in 2022, leading to the restoration of the platform after a 222-day suspension.

As part of the deal, Twitter committed to establishing a legal presence in Nigeria, paying applicable taxes, appointing a country representative and cooperating with the government on content regulation.

While some conditions reportedly took time to fully materialise, the government has maintained that the measures were necessary to protect national interest rather than suppress free expression.

The Twitter ban, which followed the deletion of a tweet by President Buhari in June 2021, provoked outcry and remains one of the most controversial digital policy decisions in Nigeria’s recent history.

However, Mohammed and other former officials continue to insist that the action was justified in the interest of national security and unity.