The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has come under intense criticism for saying there is no bill before the National Assembly seeking to regulate social media.
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Mohammed, who had a few months ago announced plans by the Muhammadu Buhari regime to regulate social media, denied reports that the regime had a bad human rights record.
The minister said this during an interview on DW’s Conflict Zone which was posted on Friday.
A bill known as ‘The Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation’, sponsored by Senator Mohammed Musa, which seeks stiff penalties including prison terms for misuse of social media, has been criticised by both local and international rights groups.
Journalist, Tim Sebastian, had asked Mohammed why the government was seeking to stifle free speech through such draconian laws.
In his response, Mohammed said, “Who is the author of that bill? I am not even aware of that bill. I am not even aware of it.”
ICYMI: Full #dwZone interview with #Nigeria's Information Minister Lai Mohammedhttps://t.co/atvYA54yo0
Here is he denying knowledge of the controversial "Protection from Internet Falsehood & Manipulation" bill. pic.twitter.com/aVdgXIvVrm
— DW Conflict Zone (@dw_conflictzone) January 31, 2020
When he was reminded that he was the minister of information and ought to be aware of happenings in the country, Mohammed said, “There is no such bill in the House. I can say that categorically and authoritatively. There is no such bill before the House.”
When asked if the Buhari regime would support the ‘Hate Speech Bill’, the minister said, “when we get to the bridge, we will cross it.”
However, Mohammed’s comment was met by harsh criticisms from Nigerians on social media.
#LaiMohammed has been trending on Twitter for almost 24 hours.
@ayemojubar tweeted, “Lai Mohammed, as old as you are, as old as you are, you will never change.”
@William_Ukpe also tweeted, “The reason Lai Mohammed denied that bill is because they know the bill is a shameless bill made for shameless men with fragile egos. They can threaten Nigerians with that bill. But foreign air brings clarity, so baba deny am.”
In a bid to puncture Mohammed’s claim, @Ayoolafelix posted a video showing the minister supporting social media regulation at a press conference a few months ago.
In the video, Mohammed said, “Finally, for the avoidance of doubt, I welcome a robust debate on this issue. Criticisms in certain quarters will not stop us from going ahead to sanitise social media.
“It is the right thing to do in the circumstances we find ourselves and we are not alone in doing this. Countries around the world are as concerned as we are and they are doing something about social media. The list is long.”
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