The Federal Government has described as false the information being circulated on the Social Media to the effect that under a purported Ministry of Interior Regulation, all phone calls and Social Media posts made by the citizens are to be monitored and recorded.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described the development as another
example of disinformation that has permeated the media space,
especially the Social Media.
The Minister said the intention of those behind the false news is to
give the impression that the Federal Government is working to stifle
freedom of speech, which is not the case.
”There is no regulation, old or new, from the Ministry of Interior or
any federal government agency requiring the recording of all calls or
the monitoring of Social Media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter or
Facebook. We are therefore using this medium to inform all Nigerians
that what is being circulated in this regard is totally false and
should be disregarded.
”We thank all Nigerians who have reached out to us in an effort to
confirm the authenticity or otherwise of this information, which is
now being widely circulated on the Social Media. This is the best way
to ensure that the purveyors of false news do not dominate our media
space,” he said.
Segun Adeyemi
SA to Hon Minister of Information and Culture
Abuja
10th April 2017
