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Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says the federal government has no plan to shut down social media in the country.

Mohammed said this on Thursday during a press conference on the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests.

The minister said the spread of fake news through social media catalysed the outbreak of violence across the country.

He said despite the negative effect social media had on the outcome of the protests, the government nursed no plan to shut it down.

Sunday Dare, minister of youth, had said the government had the option of shutting down social media during the #EndSARS protests but chose not to do so because it is “committed to the rights of every citizen”.

Mohammed earlier warned that if left unregulated, social media would destroy the country.

Many Nigerians have kicked against the planned regulation of social media.

A bill to effect the regulation has already scaled second reading at the senate.

But Mohammed said the government will go ahead to regulate social media.

“Keen watchers of the developments cannot fail to notice the role played by the social media in the EndSARS protest. As a veritable tool for mass mobilization, the organizers of the protest of course leveraged heavily on social media for that purpose. But on the other hand, the same social media was used to spread fake news and disinformation that catalyzed the violence that was witnessed across the country,” he said.

“This development has reinforced the campaign against fake news and disinformation, which we launched in 2018. As a matter of fact, as far back as 2017, when we dedicated that year’s National Council on Information to the issue of fake news and disinformation, we had been expressing concerns on the dangers posed by irresponsible use of the new media platform. The concerns culminated in the launch of the national campaign which I referred to earlier.

“The social media was used to guide arsonists and looters to certain properties, both public and private.

“As we have said many times, no responsible government will stand by and allow such abuse of social media to continue. The fake news/disinformation purveyors have latched on to our concerns to allege that the Federal Government is planning to shut down social media. No, we have no plans to shut down the social media. What we have always advocated, and what we will do, is to regulate the social media. Nigeria is not alone in this regard. The issue of social media regulation is an ongoing debate not just in Nigeria but around the world, including in the United States, which is the flag flyer of constitutional democracy. Even the owners of the various social media platforms, including Facebook, are increasingly joining the call for content regulation.”

Mohammed further faulted those he accused of “playing to the gallery” regarding the issue of social media regulation.

He argued that if social media is left uncensored, there may not be a country left to defend.

“What they have failed to understand is that the only reason we are even able to have this debate is because we have a country. If we allow the abuse of social media to precipitate uncontrolled internecine violence, the kind of which was narrowly averted during the EndSARS crisis, no one will remember or be able to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, for whatever purpose,” he said.

“It is incumbent upon us all, therefore, to strike a balance between free speech – which this Administration is committed to upholding – and fake news/disinformation, which it is determined to fight.”

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Enyinnaya Abaribe, minority leader of the senate, says it is non-negotiable for an Igbo persons to become Nigeria’s next president.

The senator spoke in Imo on Wednesday when he was presented with a “legacy merit award” by the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

According to PUNCH, Abaribe, who was represented at the event by Chijioke Ukoh, one of his aides, added that he would continue to advocate for fairness for the south-east.

He said not continuing with such advocacy would subject the Igbo to “second class citizens.”

He was also quoted as telling the Igbo to “remain firm and resolute” notwithstanding the challenges facing the region as well as allegations of marginalisation.

The comment comes amid the growing clamour from south-east leaders for an Igbo to become president come the 2023 elections.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organisation in the south-east, had recently made a similar case, saying that Nigeria will be transformed if the next president comes from the south-east.

“The exploits of Igbo sons and daughters both within and outside the country are indices of the cerebral capability and ingenuity of the people which Nigeria could exploit to advance its development,” Nnia Nwodo, the group’s president-general, had said.

“The Federal Government should stop marginalising and victimising the Igbo in the country so that the latent creative potentials could be harnessed for the good of all. Nigeria would witness a turn around in her fortunes if a president of Igbo extraction was allowed to emerge in 2023.”

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested
five friends over the death of a Nigerian, Mr
Endurance Ero, who just returned from South
Africa, and went out with the suspects to a
party in the Surulere area.

The police operatives said, in an incident report
obtained by SaharaReporters, that Ero, while
taking some drinks with the friends – two men
and three ladies – slumped and was rushed to the
Randle Hospital, Surulere, where some doctors
on duty certified him dead.

The operatives at Area C thereafter arrested
the five friends identified as Kelvin Ajayi,
Endurance Ajayi and females, Hope Igbinedion,
Miracle Ubani, and Chinasa Anthony.

Family sources told SaharaReporters that the
deceased had returned from South Africa on
October 17, before deciding to hang out with his
friends at the Rush Guest House located at
Oyekan Street, Surulere, on the following day.

In the police report, Ero’s mother, Matunwo
Chichi, said, “My son and his friend, Osagie,
came back from South Africa on October 17 at
about 3 pm. Then, at about 6 pm on the same
date, he left the house that he wanted to visit
his friend’s mother, but he did not return home.

“On October 18, at about 11 am, I was called on
the phone that he had been rushed to Randle
General Hospital, Surulere, and when I got
there, I met him in a wheelchair, with blood
coming out of his mouth and nose. Then, the
doctors on duty pronounced him dead.”

Although no direct link to the death of the
returnee had been established yet, the police
report stated that the suspected persons and
the case had been transferred to the State
Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba,
for “discreet investigation.”

The police report said, “Preliminary
investigation revealed that the deceased was in
the company of Kelvin Ajayi, Endurance Ajayi
and females, Hope Igbinedion, Miracle Ubani, and
Chinasa Anthony and went to drink in a guest
house, named Rush located at Oyekan Street,
Surulere.

“Suddenly, the deceased collapsed and started
vomiting blood in his mouth and nose. He was
rushed to the hospital, but the doctors on duty
certified him dead. The photographs of his corpse
have been taken and his corpse deposited at the
Mainland General Hospital, Yaba, for an autopsy.

“The earlier mentioned suspected persons have
been arrested, and the case will be transferred
to the SCID, Panti, Yaba, for discreet
investigation.”

The Nigeria Immigration Service says the passport of #EndSARS promoter, Modupe Odele aka Mochievous, was seized as part of a routine border assignment.

The Spokesman for the NIS, Mr. Sunday James, told The PUNCH on Thursday night that whenever a restriction has been placed on any individual, the immigration service is duty-bound to enforce it.

James said immigration did not seize Odele’s passport because of her #EndSARS activities but because it was enforcing a restriction order.

He said, “When there is a directive from any agency of government not specific, we have to enforce either entry or restriction of entry by anybody who has been directed not to be allowed exit or entry and as a matter of fact, we cannot as a border management agency, allow anybody who has been restricted from leaving the country to go out and we cannot allow anybody who has been restricted from entry to enter.

“So, it is a routine assignment and it has nothing to do with End SARS. We are the lead agency for the security management of the border. It has to do with the restriction order which we are duty-bound to enforce.”