The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has noted that the Federal Government has no apology to offer those unhappy over the suspension of Twitter’s operations in the country, as he said a country must exist in peace before people can exercise freedom of speech and fight for a source of livelihood.
The Minister stated this on Tuesday when he featured on “Politics Nationwide,’’ a Radio Nigeria call-in programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Mohammed who accused Twitter and its founder, Jack Dorsey for the losses incured by the country during the EndSARS protest, also alleged Dorsey of raising funds through Bitcoins to sponsor the EndSARS protest using his platform, Twitter, to fuel the crisis.
“If you ask people to donate money via bitcoins for EndSARS protesters then you are vicariously liable for whatever is the outcome of the protest.
“We have forgotten that EndSARS led to loss of lives, including 37 policemen, six soldiers, 57 civilians while property worth billions of naira were destroyed.
“164 police vehicles and 134 police stations were razed to the ground, 265 private corporate organisation were looted while 243 public property were looted.
“81 warehouses were looted while over 200 brand new buses bought by Lagos State Government were burnt to ashes,’’ he said.
Mohammed added that Twitter consistently offered its platform to promote agenda that were inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
“Twitter has become a platform of choice for a particular separatist promoter.
“The promoter consistently used the platform to direct his loyalists to kill Nigerian soldiers and policemen, run down INEC offices and destroy all symbols of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“Every attempt to persuade Twitter to deny its platform to this separatist leader was not taken serious,’’ he said.
The minister however said it was unfair to conclude that the operation of Twitter was suspended indefinitely because it deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s message.
He said the government was clear that the action was taken because the platform was being used to promote the views of those who wanted to destabilise the country.
