Former member of the House of Representatives Ned Nwoko has expressed support for the Federal Government’s suspension of Twitter.
Mr Nwoko said during the June 12 lecture organised by the correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abuja council that he believes governments should have some control over social media in countries where they operate.
“On the current issue with Twitter in Nigeria, I wholeheartedly support the position of the Federal Government,” he said.
“There should be a measure of control and regulation for social media in countries where they have a presence.”
Minister of information and culture Lai Mohammed had announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on June 4, citing the “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”.
The suspension came days after Twitter removed a post by President Muhammadu Buhari which it said violated its rules.
Nwoko said some of his reasons for supporting the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria include allowing the Federal Government press for terms such as creation of a physical Twitter office in Nigeria where customers can make complaints; and allowing government regulate information that should not be in the public space, among others.
The politician stressed that social media platforms must pay taxes to governments and provide employment for some Nigerians out of the millions of people currently using the platform in the country.
