The Fedreal Government of Nigeria has accused microblogging site, Twitter, of double standards for deleting President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments on the 1967 Civil war and how Igbo people were killed.
Buhari comments, which drew flaks across social media platforms, reads, “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.”
He made the comments while meeting with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) boss, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, over 42 burnt INEC offices nationwide.
Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday Twitter ignored the inciting tweets of Nnamdi Kanu but removed those of the Nigerian leader.
“Twitter’s role is suspicious and Nigeria would not be fooled.”
He said further: “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.”
Following the public outcry of Nigerians, the microblogging site deleted the tweet from the thread, on Wednesday.
According to Twitter, “This tweet violated the Twitter rules.”
Many called for the suspension of the President’s Twitter handle, but it is not clear what further steps the microblogging site will take.
According to the micro-blogging site (other rules are): “Threaten violence against an individual or a group of people; engage in the targeted harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so, nor promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.”