The Federal Government has denied monitoring or recording calls made by Nigerians.
It 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 were to be monitored and recorded.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
He described the rumour as another example of disinformation that he said has permeated the media space, especially the social media.
The minister said the intention of those behind the false news was to give the impression that the Federal Government was working to stifle freedom of speech, which is not the case.
Mohammed said, ”There is no regulation, old or new, from the Ministry of Interior orany 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.”
