Justifying the decision to suspend Twitter in 2021, Mohammed claimed the platform had become the preferred tool for those “destabilising the country,” alleging that the move had nothing to do with Twitter deleting Buhari’s tweet.
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has admitted that suspending Twitter, now known as X, in Nigeria under the Muhammadu Buhari administration remains one of the hardest decisions of his eight-year stewardship.
Speaking on Arise News, in an interview to promote his new book, ‘Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration,’ the former minister defended several controversial actions taken by the government between 2015 and 2023, insisting they were all guided by “national interest,” not an attempt to silence dissent.
Mohammed, the longest-serving information minister in Nigeria’s history, said his book offers an insider account of major policy battles, crisis communication, and the “real stories” behind Buhari-era controversies.
Justifying the decision to suspend Twitter in 2021, Mohammed claimed the platform had become the preferred tool for those “destabilising the country,” alleging that the move had nothing to do with Twitter deleting Buhari’s tweet.
“For instance, one of the most difficult decisions I took was suspending Twitter’s operations in Nigeria,” he said.
“I had to make the decision in the national interest, because at that time Twitter had become the platform of choice for those destabilizing the country. Decisions like that are not about popularity; they are about facts.”
“I told President Buhari that we needed to suspend Twitter. He asked if it was because his tweet was deleted. I said no. Twitter had become the platform of choice for elements trying to destabilise Nigeria,” he added.
He maintained that he had long advocated for regulation of social media, describing unregulated platforms as “a disaster waiting to happen.”
Mohammed described the late President Buhari as an “extremely loyal” leader and recounted anecdotes, including Buhari jokingly asking how many people he had “killed,” given his habit of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.
He insisted Buhari would be judged favourably by history, particularly for reclaiming territories previously controlled by Boko Haram.
Trying to differentiate security failures, Mohammed argued that banditry, which spiralled under Buhari government, was historically rooted and materially motivated, unlike Boko Haram’s ideological insurgency.
Despite widespread criticism that the Buhari government was authoritarian and obsessed with narrative control, Mohammed rejected suggestions that his communication strategy was designed to protect the administration.
“We never set out to preserve the government. We set out to preserve Nigeria,” he said.
Mohammed’s book is scheduled for launch on December 17, chosen deliberately to coincide with Buhari’s posthumous birthday.
The former minister said the book is meant to “inspire future leaders” and correct what he calls “misinformation” about the Buhari years.
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