Reps Advocate Social Media Regulation As FG Insists Twitter Ban Is In Nigeria’s Interest
Fatuhu Mohammed, an APC chieftain from Katsina State and a member of the House of Representatives Information Committee, has urged for the control of social media, arguing that the time has come for the country to face up to the genuine difficulties it faces.
When Lai Mohammed testified before the House Committee on Information on Tuesday, Mohammed made the call.
Lai Mohammed has invoked different portions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution in support of the official action taken in light of the country’s security challenges.
He responded by saying that if the Minister had not blocked Twitter with Mr President’s consent, the level of insults to Nigeria’s sovereignty coming from its users would be concerning.
Rep Shaba Ibrahim (PDP-Kogi), a member of the Information Committee, also spoke, saying that the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, did a fine job of laying out the legal basis that backed the decision to ban Twitter.
Allowing Twitter’s breaches to continue undetected until the President’s message was taken down, he claimed, was a disservice to the country.
When it came to national security and national interest, Ibrahim remarked that anything would pale into insignificance.
Rep. Chinedu Ogah (APC-Ebonyi), another committee member, noted that if the law regulating social media had been applied, the microblogging site’s activity would have been monitored.
