Lai Mohammed Reveals FG In Talks With Twitter, Says Facebook, Instagram, Others Must Register Before Operating
Federal Government has on Wednesday, June 9 said the management of tech giant, Twitter, has reached out for dialogue, following the suspension of its operations in Nigeria.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed revealed this on Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents after Federal Executive Council today.
He said Twitter reached out to the Federal Government on Wednesday morning, alleging that the ban has so far been very effective following reports of Twitter’s huge financial losses running into billions.
Mohammed stated that Twitter and other social media service providers, also known as Over-The-Top (OTT) media service providers, have been cheating Nigeria by way of not paying their due taxes.
He also disclosed that investigations revealed that the founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, was one of the funders of #EndSARS protest in Nigeria in 2020.
Speaking further, 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 added that the Federal Government has come to the resolution that all OTT service providers that wish to continue operating in Nigeria must be registered as Nigerian companies.
When the Minister was asked about the law under which Nigerians who violate the Twitter ban would be prosecuted, Mohammed refrained from answering and asked that Attorney General of Federation provide answers.
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Mohammed then insisted on the ban and asked politicians to rise beyond various divisions and queue behind the country’s decision to ban the microblogging site.
According to the Minister, the suspension of Twitter is not in any way stifling the freedom of speech as Nigerians have other platforms they can utilise to express their opinions.
When asked about the law under which Nigerians who violate the Twitter ban would be prosecuted, Mohammed asked that the question to be directed to Attorney General of the Federation, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
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He explained that most of OTT and social media platforms operating in Nigeria do not have offices either do they pay taxes for the billions earned.
Mohammed added;
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.
