Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has defended the 2021 suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying the decision was taken purely in the national interest.

He also reiterated his position that no massacre occurred at the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, insisting that the narrative was driven by misinformation and “fake news.”

He spoke on ARISE Prime Time during an interview ahead of the launch of his new book, “Headlines and Sound Bites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration”, which documents the Buhari government’s media battles between 2015 and 2023.

Lai also addressed the widely held belief that the deletion of a tweet by President Buhari prompted the suspension of Twitter operations in June 2021.

“Honestly, that was not the reason. I went to President Buhari and told him, ‘Sir, we need to suspend the services of Twitter.’ He asked if it was because they deleted his tweet. I said no, and I gave him instances and examples.”

He argued that the platform had become “a tool for those destabilising the country,” and that the action was taken reluctantly but in the national interest.

“You won’t be popular as Minister of Information,” he added. “Some decisions you take not because you like them, but because you must take them in the national interest.”

Mohammed said his advocacy for the regulation of social media predated the suspension, stressing that he was not attempting to suppress press freedom but to curb the dangers posed by unregulated online platforms.

The former minister said his new book offers firsthand insight into how the government managed national communication during major crises, including the #EndSARS protests, terrorism, banditry, and the $9.6bn P&ID arbitration saga.

“One of the jobs of a communicator is to prevent fake news and misinformation from overshadowing real facts,” he said. “No government or person sets out to stifle the freedom of people.”

He also revealed that the backlash at the peak of the #EndSARS protests deeply affected his family.

“They were bullied online and offline. Their businesses were affected. They urged me to resign,” he said.

Headlines and Sound Bites, described by Mohammed as part memoir and part historical record, will be launched on December 17 — a date chosen to coincide with what would have been President Buhari’s 83rd birthday.

The former minister said the book aims to provide context, preserve history, and help future leaders learn from past governance experiences. (TRIBUNE)