Minister Lai Mohammed of Information Ministry says the President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime which he serves will not rest until it regulates the social media.
Since Mr Buhari took over power in 2015, his administration has severally attempted and has continued to push for the regulation of the social media, a major channel critics use in expressing displeasure at the regime’s policies.
Mr Mohammed and some of his colleagues have been at the forefront to have the bridge which they used in climbing to power decimated.
Earlier on Wednesday, a short video clip circulating on social media showed the minister boarding a flight en route the United States.
The report said Mr Mohammed sneaked out of the country to negotiate with Twitter, a micro-blogging platform the federal government banned in the country for deleting a tweet of Mr Buhari deemed genocidal over two months ago.
But reacting to the report, the government propagandist denied being in the U.S. to negotiate with Twitter and revealed that he there to meet with international media organisations and think tanks on the achievements of his principal and efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry and all forms of criminality.
He also vowed that he and the government he serves will not rest until they aim of getting the social media regulated is achieved.
“When you talk about fake news and its danger, we need to take it seriously and I am happy that the entire world has now seen what we saw more than two years ago,” Mr Mohammed told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). “I can assure you that we will not rest until we regulate social media, otherwise, nobody will survive it.
“Can a minister sneak out of Nigeria without people knowing? How can you come and say I sneaked out of the country? You and I have been here, have I met with any twitter official?” he asked the state-owned newswire.
He is said to have met with officials of the BBC Radio and TV, Bloomberg and Polico in Washington DC so far.
On the negotiations between the government and the social networking site he said it has reached an advanced stage as the end of the ban is in sight.
