Honorable Minister of @FMICNigeria , Alh. Lai Mohammed addresses Pressmen, berates Canadian Government, Twitter for their double standard in the handling violent protests in Nigeria and other climes
News Briefing on Canada Truckers Protest Vs EndSars by Minister of @FMICNigeria, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
I am sure you journalists are watching with keen interest the events unfolding in Canada, where truckers are protesting over Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other Covid-19 restrictions
The Canadian protesters, who have blockaded roads and resorted to inconveniencing others, have been branded as terrorists or insurrectionists and subjected to a number of clampdowns by government and private organizations.
The crowdfunding company GoFundMe has shut down the campaign to raise funds for the truckers, after they raised over US$10m, Twitter has suspended the truckers account…
…while the Ontario government has frozen access to millions of dollars donated through online fundraising platform GiveSendGo to the protesters.
Jim Watson, the Mayor of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, has also declared a state of emergency in the city in response, saying the protests posed a threat to residents' safety.
Recall, gentlemen, that during the EndSars protest, which culminated in the blockage of public roads and massive destruction of government and private property, Canada was one of the countries that spoke out in support of the protesters.
Recall also that Twitter actively supported the EndSars protesters and even helped them to raise fund while GoFundMe was used to raise funds for the protests.
These are the same entities that are now rushing to distance themselves from the protesters in Canada and even denying them the use of their platforms.
This is similar to what played out during the January 6th 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol In Washington, D.C. where those involved are either still being investigated or have been charged to court. I don’t blame them.
Nobody wants their country destroyed under the guise of protests.
Don’t misunderstand this intervention. We are not gloating over the unfortunate development in Canada. But we are only calling attention to the double standard involved in the way protesters deemed to be violent are perceived in Nigeria and in the West.
Those who referred to the hoodlums who destroyed public and private property in Nigeria under the guise of EndSars as peaceful protesters have tagged similar protesters in their own countries as insurrectionists and terrorists.
This glaring double standard should not be lost on all Nigerians.
We have always said that you must have a country before you can even enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by your country’s constitution. If there is no Nigeria, no one will be talking of freedom of expression or freedom of association and the likes.
This realization explains why every country goes the extra mile to protect and preserve itself. And this also explains why we have continued to insist on the regulation of social media to ensure responsible content.
In this area, I can confidently say we are far ahead of most countries in the world, who have now realized that social media must be regulated in the interest of their own people.
In this regard, our successful negotiation with Twitter to fashion out measures to ensure a responsible use of that platform which…
…by the way, will also apply to other social media platforms, has made us a global trail blazer in efforts to prevent harmful content from social media platforms
Gentlemen, we must not allow anyone to destroy our country under the guise of protest or unbridled freedoms. We all must put Nigeria first at all times.
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The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are
capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence.
Meeting of the HMIC, Alh. Lai Mohammed, The Exec. Gov. of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, Nigerian Amb. to Germany, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar with a German Delegation led by D.G, Culture and Communications, Federal Foreign office, Andres Gorgin on the repatriation of Benin Antiquities
REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, DURING MEETING WITH THE GERMAN DELEGATION ON THE REPATRIATION OF BENIN ANTIQUITIES...IN ABUJA ON TUESDAY, 18 MAY 2021
PROTOCOL
Let me formally welcome His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State. His presence here, though not scheduled, is a big boost to our ongoing efforts to repatriate the Benin Bronzes from all over the world.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has renewed his call for the repatriation of all looted Nigerian artefacts, while commending those countries that have heeded the call by returning such antiquities.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday to mark the #InternationalMuseumDay2021, the Minister also appealed to the Nigerians, especially the elite, to join the ongoing campaign to repatriate all looted Nigerian artefacts.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), as a
stakeholder on national issues, to speak out against those fanning the embers of disunity and discord in the country.
The Minister made the call in Abuja on Monday when he received the President of NIPR, Mr. Muktar Sirajo and other members of the Governing Council on a courtesy visit to his office, ahead of the Institute's Annual General Meeting in Bauchi on 20 May 2021.
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION PRESS & PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
PRESS STATEMENT
PSC SAYS VIDEO IN CIRCULATION NOT NEW
The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, wishes to inform the public that the audiovisual clip of the erstwhile National Coordinator under the defunct PTF circulating on the social media, is an old video and has nothing to do with the recent guidelines released.
#PSCCOVID19 states unequivocally that the recently released Implementation Guidelines is a reissue of the guidelines published on April 27, 2020 and not new as being speculated but to reinforce existing provisions of the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations, 2021...
TEXT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE HON. MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, ON NATIONAL SECURITY....IN LAGOS ON TUESDAY, 11 MAY 2021
Good morning gentlemen, and thank you for once again honouring our invitation.
2. It is no longer news that our dear nation is facing security challenges.However, I have read comments saying @NigeriaGov is overwhelmed and doesn't have a clue as to how to tackle the challenges.
Some have even gone as far as suggesting a truncation of the democratic order, a clearly treasonable stance.
3. Well, I am here today to assure all Nigerians that while the government acknowledges the security challenges we face at this time, from terrorism to kidnaping,