Buhari Asked Me One Question Before Twitter Ban – Lai Mohammed Speaks Out

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has disclosed the question former President Muhammadu Buhari posed to him before the government suspended Twitter (now ) in 2021.

According to Ireporter Online, Mohammed revealed that Buhari asked whether he had the capacity to enforce the suspension, to which he confidently replied in the affirmative.

Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, Mohammed refuted claims that the ban targeted the political class, emphasizing that the decision was driven by regulatory concerns that had remained unresolved despite extensive engagement with the platform.

“When we decided to suspend Twitter, the President, may he rest in peace, asked me only one question: do I have the capacity to execute it? I said yes,” Mohammed recounted. He added that consultations were held with the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, but the suspension was necessitated by what he described as the platform’s reckless conduct.

Twitter resumed operations in Nigeria in 2022 after a 222-day suspension, following an agreement that required the company to establish a legal presence in the country, pay relevant taxes, appoint a local representative, and collaborate with the government on content regulation. Mohammed stressed that these measures were designed to safeguard national interests, rather than suppress freedom of expression.