Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has tackled social media giant, Twitter, after it deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari had tweeted that those who were allegedly fanning the embers of violence did not know what really transpired during the Biafran war, but that his government would teach them a lesson accordingly.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” the President said.
Based on the disapproval the tweet generated, Twitter had on Wednesday deleted it, saying it violated its rule.
But Muhammed faulted this, accusing Twitter of double standards, based on how, he believes, it pampers leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Mohammed said: “Twitter may have its own rules, they are not the universal rules. If Mr President, anywhere in the world, feels very bad and concern about a situation, he is free to express such views.
“Now, we should stop comparing apples with oranges. If an organisation is proscribed, it is different from any other which is not proscribed.
“Two, any organisation that gives directives to its members, to attack police stations, to kill policemen, to attack correctional centres, to kill warders, and you are now saying that Mr President does not have the right to express his dismay and anger about that?
“They are the ones guilty of double standards. I don’t see anywhere in the world where an organisation, a person will stay somewhere outside Nigeria and will direct his members to attack the symbols of authority, the police, the military, especially when that organisation has been proscribed.
“By whatever name, you can’t justify giving orders to kill policemen or to kill anybody you do not agree with.”
