Nigeria information minister failed to disclose his movements. When the media guessed he threatened total social media controls
IT NEWS NIGERIA
Nigeria Government headed by President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed it is making efforts to ensure that social media is under control in the country.
This detail is according to the administration’s chief image maker, Mr. Lai Mohammed, infamous for strongly advocating for online media regulation and he said this while speaking to government-controlled news agency NAN.
Mr Lai is quoted as saying that the Federal government will not rest until social media platforms are regulated.
He said Sahara Reporters’ claim that he sneaked out of Nigeria to the US to meet with Twitter operators to resolve the ban on the micro-blogging site in Nigeria is false and that unconfirmed reports like this buttress the need to regulated internet.
But the Minister failed to realized when public officers fail to disclose their movement
According to him, “can a minister sneak out of Nigeria without people knowing? When you say I sneaked out of Nigeria, are you saying I went to board at a terminal where nobody is or I travelled to the Republic of Benin to fly out of the country?”
“I was at an international airport, where I presented myself openly and I was checked in at the counter like every other traveler of the airline. I boarded and passed through the checks by the immigration service and customs.
Analysis
In the absence of information of public officials’ movements speculations are rife.
Mr Lai did not disclose what and where he was going to. This lack of information and transparency of governance give rooms to wide speculations about government officials’ whereabout and what they are up to.
Imagine seeing a UK public official boarding flight to Africa without public information on the reason he or she is heading to Africa. That could cost one’s job in that clime.
The minister said he was at the international airport “like every other traveler”. Unfortunately, he was like every other traveler. At leats no other minister, if any, was on board. Therefore, Mr Lai, you are not like any other traveler.
As government chief spokesman you owe the media and the public your where about and what you are doing there.
