By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami was 1 year, 10 months and 18 days on the saddle as Minister in charge of the Federal Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy(FMoCDE), exactly on July 8, 2021 and the issue of Twitter was among the bloated wishlist that stakeholders rolled out for his intervention at the ICT Stakeholders’ Forum at Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lagos, south west, Nigeria.
Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria(ALTON)Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, in his goodwill on behalf of the association, sought the intervention of the Minister to resolve the imbroglio between the Government of Nigeria and Twitter, which led to the latter’s suspension by the former.
Responding, Dr. Pantami stated that the issue with Twitter was based on content and not technology that was his Ministry’s remit, even as he explained the ministry’s proactivity that culminated in the conviction of President Muhammadu Buhari to okay the Committee to engage Twitter.
Said Pantami: “I just want to remind my brother Gbenga that the issue of Twitter has two components : one has to do with Information Content and two on Technology. So the misunderstanding between the government of Nigeria and Twitter is not with regards to technology; it is with regards to content online. Content Online has nothing to do with the Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy. Content Online is being supervised by the Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and National Broadcasting Commission, under his supervision. So the point of misunderstanding is content. Our mandate is technology. The issue is not with Twitter as a technology company. As a technology company, we don’t have any complaints, but the complaint is on the content and content is not in any way under our Ministry or parastatal but rather under Alhaji Lai Mohammed…
“However, you may wish to know, as part of our effort, when Twitter was suspended in Nigeria, our Ministry reached out to Mr. President, apologized to him and also showed to him how important it is to engage with Twitter and address the issue. So the Ministry is the one that officially brought a recommendation to Mr. President to open the chapter of opening an engagement with Twitter. It is through the approval of our recommendation that Mr. President has approved a Committee to engage and I think as supervisors of ICT, we have done our part.
“But now, the issue is content and with that content we cannot do anything because we don’t have the mandate to supervise what is posted online or what is being projected online. That one is for the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and National Broadcasting Commission. So if you have any special advice, you may wish to get in touch with the Minister of Information and Culture and if you write through me, I assure you that I will convey all your recommendations to Alhaji Lai Mohammed within 60 minutes from the time I receive your recommendations. If you have any recommendations with regards to Twitter as a technology company, bring it directly to me but anything online content, that one is for Alhaji Lai Mohammed and NBC.”
