Court orders Lai Mohammed to disclose details of FG, X agreement
Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has mandated former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, to reveal the details of the agreement between the Federal Government and X, formerly known as Twitter. This landmark verdict, delivered in May 2024, came in response to a Freedom of Information suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The certified true copy of the judgment was obtained last Friday.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, stated that the court order aims to evaluate whether the agreement respects Nigerians’ human rights online. The former minister and the Ministry of Information are now compelled to provide a copy of the agreement to SERAP to ensure it does not infringe on the fundamental rights of Nigerians.
Justice Dimgba emphasized that disclosing the agreement is in the public interest and does not harm Twitter’s business interests or compromise Nigeria’s sovereignty and national security. He dismissed the objections raised by the minister’s counsel and ruled in favor of SERAP.
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The case arose following the Nigerian Government’s statement on January 13, 2022, which announced the lifting of Twitter’s suspension and noted that Twitter had agreed to comply with Nigerian laws and respect national culture and history. The suspension, implemented on June 4, 2021, followed the removal of a tweet by former president Muhammadu Buhari. Although the former president was named as a co-respondent in the suit, the court’s orders were specifically directed at the minister.
Justice Dimgba’s ruling clarifies that the agreement’s disclosure is not covered by the Official Secrets Act and that the minister failed to prove it would threaten national security or Nigeria’s sovereignty.
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