The Federal Government has condemned Twitter’s removal of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet reminiscing Nigerians experiences during the civil war and warning armed secessionists in the southeast region of the country.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, while responding to question from the State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting on the deletion of the president’s tweet by Twitter, accused the platform of double standards concerning Nigeria’s domestic issues, describing the company’s role in Nigeria as suspicious.
He said that “Twitter may have its own rules, it’s not the universal rule. If Mr. President, anywhere in the world feels very bad and concern about a situation, he is free to express such views. Now, we should stop comparing apples with oranges. If an organisation is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed. Two, any organisation that gives directives to its members, to attack police stations, to kill policemen, to attack correctional centre, to kill warders, and you are now saying that Mr. President does not have the right to express his dismay and anger about that? We are the ones guilty of double standards. I don’t see anywhere in the world where an organisation, a person will stay somewhere outside Nigeria and will direct his members to attack the symbols of authority, the police, the military, especially when that organisation has been proscribed. By whatever name, you can’t justify giving orders to kill policemen or to kill anybody you do not agree with.
Lai said that the mission of Twitter in Nigeria is very very suspect.
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He then asked, has Twitter deleted the violent tweets that Nnamdi Kanu has been sending? Has it?
“The same Twitter during the END SARS protests that were funding END SARS protesters, it was the first to close the account of the former President of the US, Trump. And you see, when people were burning police stations and killing policemen in Nigeria during END SARS, for Twitter, it was about the right to protest. But when a similar thing happened on the Capitol, it became insurrection. You see, we are not going to be fooled by anybody. We have a country to rule and we will do so to the best of our ability. Twitter mission in Nigeria citing those two examples is very suspect. What is their agenda?
“How does Mr. President’s speech that says anybody who is destroyed infrastructure, who is destroying police offices, who is destroying INEC offices should be ready for the consequences, Is that inciting violence?”
When Asked why Shiekh Gumi whose comment has justified Boko Haram’s actions has not been picked up, Mohammed said, “You are again mixing things. If an organisation is proscribed ab initio, that organization does not exist in that country. There are many Nigerians, for instance, who have been inciting people against the government.
“Who appointed Gumi middleman between the government and Boko Haram? Listen, for me, unless you come and tell me this was what Gumi said that is inciting that you are comparing to Kanu… anyway what we’re discussing is different. We’re discussing Twitter. If you want to ask any question about Gumi or any other person, go ahead but please, be objective.
“There are so many people who have been spewing hate against Mr. President, against this government. So if you want to comment be fair, don’t take a position that is not objective. If we were to pick up everybody today who had been abusing this administration, the detention centres will be filled up and you will be the first person also to talk about lack of tolerance, lack of rule of law. But I’m saying that you cannot compare anybody with Kanu who boldly said, go and kill policemen. I think sometimes…policemen are brothers, they are our uncle, they are children. We kill them their wives become widows, their children become orphans. And what is the offence of these policemen? Because they are working to keep the country one.
“What about soldiers that are putting down their lives so that I and you can sleep? It is not acceptable anywhere in the world for anybody, anywhere, to stay in the comfort of wherever he is and now give directives to go and kill soldiers, go and kill policemen.”
Edited by Tunde Orebiyi
