February 8, 2024
Plans by the federal government to unveil new regulations for social media in the country were underway.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dropped the hint on Thursday, February 8, in Lagos during a book presentation of Nigerian Public Discourse: The Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole, written by the immediate past minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Tinubu, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, said it was high time the federal lawmakers reviewed the existing regulations to improve them.
Gbajabiamila, also an erstwhile speaker of the House of Representatives, said the 9th Assembly’s efforts to have a new regulation on social media were unsuccessful.
He noted that the House’s good intentions were misinterpreted, hence, the civil organisations vehemently opposed the move.
He added that with the turnout of events in the public space, the government cannot afford to allow an era of misinformation through social media.
He said: “Who should be blamed for spreading fake reports through the social media? Is it the purveyor of the fake story or the reader?
“While we need to engage in public discourse, we need to, however, ensure that we base our discussions on facts and empirical data. Unfortunately, we many uninformed people have been relying heavily on social media to engage the public.
“And in most cases, that information has been false. This was why under my leadership as the Speaker of the 9th Assembly, we agreed to get more regulations for the sector.
“Though the work had reached an advanced stage, unfortunately, the social media fought that move to a standstill.
“Now that we have the 10th Assembly, we hope the honourable members will take it up from where we stopped and follow through on the bill.”
