Like Twitter, All Other Social Media Platforms Operating In Nigeria Must Be Regulated – Lai Mohammed Speaks
The Federal Government says it is set to amend its relevant statutes and code to enforce the operational conditions of Twitter in Nigeria on other social media platforms.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed disclosed this in Cairo at a meeting with his counterpart, Egypt Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Dr Amir Talaat.
The meeting was on the sidelines of a bilateral discussion with Africa Export Import Bank, Afreximbank, on how Nigeria can access funding to support its growing creative industry.
Mr Mohammed had led some private sector stakeholders involved in Digital Switch Over, DSO, to Afreximbank to assist them on how they can source fund to complete the wholly private sector financially driven project.
In his interaction with Talaat, the minister disclosed that Nigeria was amending its National Broadcasting Act and Broadcasting Code to ensure that all online platforms operating in the country must comply with stipulated conditions.
Mr Mohammed said the decision was borne out of the recent development on suspension of Twitter operations in the country and the agreement reached before the suspension was lifted.
“The beauty of the engagement with Twitter is immense.
“Whatever applies to twitter will apply to all other social media platforms, be it WhatsApp, Facebook or any other.
“That is why we will be having a retreat to amend the NBC Act and the NBC Code to incorporate these new gains we made with the engagement with twitter,’’ he said.
On the agreement reached with twitter which the minister said would be applicable to other online platforms, he said the microblogging site had agreed to open the Nigerian office within the first quarter of 2022.
He said twitter agreed to appoint a designated country representative within one month of lifting its suspension while its global policy team would also be available to engage directly with the government
The minister said twitter agreed to meet all regulatory demands, including the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Nigeria Communication Commission laws and rules and National Broadcasting Commission Code.
“Twitter has agreed to comply to all payable taxes as they are operating under the Nigerian laws and this they agreed to do within one week of restoring their operations.
“Twitter agreed to immediately work with the Federal Government in the area of code of conduct which is in line with global best practices
“Twitter agreed to immediately enroll Nigerians in its Law Enforcement portals and Partners Support Portal.
“The law enforcement portal will provide dedicated channels for the Nigerian laws enforcement agencies to escalate reports on contents that violate the code of conduct or the national laws.
“Similarly, the partner support portal provides a direct channel for government to engage twitter staff to manage prohibited contents,’’ he said.
The minister explained to his counterpart that twitter operation was not suspended in Nigerian because they wrote something about the president as being carried about in certain quarters.
He said the operation was suspended because twitter had become the platform of choice for those who wanted to destabilise Nigeria and create disunity and heat up the polity.
“We met with a barrage of knocks, we were accused of running authoritarian government, trying to infringe on freedom of press, violating the constitution but we were sure in our mind of what we were doing.
“We were glad that after seven months of serious engagement with twitter, we can say that what we achieved is what the suspension of the operations of twitter was all about,” he said.
Also speaking, the Egyptian minister said his country had similar challenges in the area of dissemination of policies and programmes of government.
He said he was a recent victim of fake news report which was very devastating to him.
To combat the menace, he said a department was established in the office of the Prime Minister where they monitor on hourly basis what kind of fake news was being cooked up.
He said government would immediately react to such news by giving the truthful perspective to the issue.
NAN
Kindly Share This
Dear Reader,
Fetching good and credible news information is tedious and requires huge finance. We are soliciting support from our readers and fans.
For as low as N1,000 you can be a part of our golden membership. Your support would go a long way in assisting us to continue guaranteeing quality news to our readers across the globe.
Bank transfers can be made to:
Zenith Bank
1014932118
Ireporteronline communications
Inquiries:
Email: [email protected]
Whatsapp: +234 7032341798
FOR BUSSINESS ADVERT CLICK THE WHATSAPP IMAGE BELOW
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.