The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Wednesday said microblogging platform, Twitter, has approached the Nigerian government for ‘high level discussion’s .
Mohammed made this known to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the presidential villa, Abuja.
According to him, he got the message from Twitter seeking dialogue with the government over the suspension order on June 9.
He declared that the ban has so far been very effective following reports of Twitter’s huge financial losses running into billions.
The Information Minister maintains that Twitter has been a platform of choice for separatists to thrive and would be disallowed from operating until it is duely registered, licensed, and operates within regulations.
He maintained that the social media giant was suspended because it provided an avenue for unpatriotic elements that were bent on destroying the corporate existence of Nigeria.
According to him, the owner of Twitter helped to fund the recent #EndSARS protest while allowing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to use the platform to call for the killing of security agents and destruction of public facilities.
He said Twitter failed to take down Kanu’s tweets in spite of repeated requests to do so.
When the Minister was asked about the law under which Nigerians who violate the Twitter ban would be prosecuted, Lai refrained from answering and asked that the Attorney General of the Federation provide answers.
Mohammed listed conditions that must be met even if there is a discussion with Twitter, including that it must now be registered in Nigeria as a business concern.
He explained that most of the OTT and social media platforms operating in Nigeria do not have offices either do they pay taxes for the billions earned.
Henceforth, the Federal government has resolved to ensure other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram be registered in the country and adverts have been published to this effect.
The information minister, despite criticism by Human Rights groups, insists that freedom of speech has not been stifled as a result of the ban.
He maintained that other social media platforms are still available for use.
