President Muhammadu Buhari has gone tougher on digital media in Nigeria, ordering compulsory registration of all social media platforms which include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others in the country.
The president’s directive was conveyed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, who said the order is part of the move to regulate the social media platforms.
Mohammed in a media interaction after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided by President Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja had declared: “What we are saying is that all platforms, you must register in Nigeria. You must be a corporate entity before you can do business in Nigeria.
“Whether it is Netflix, Iroko, or Facebook…they are all doing business in Nigeria, making money and they are not paying taxes.
“This is in addition to being able to regulate them. They are making billions of naira out of this country and they are not paying tax. That cannot be allowed to go on.”
The minister maintained:
“Our conditions are layout as follows: – To do business in Nigeria they must register as Nigerian companies.
“They must be licensed and they will have to refrain from using the platform for activities that are inimical to the growth of Nigeria.”
The directive was identified as follow up to the #TwitterBan which has been generating controversies across the country and the international community.
The ban has been widely described as draconian and the degeneration of democracy in Nigeria to autocracy and restraint of freedom of expression and the rule of law.