Nigeria

Social media bill: Okorocha, Lai Mohammed reveal why regulation is important

Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 10:16 PM by Wale Akinola

- Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, has again restated the FG's position on social media bill

- The social media bill had generated reactions from Nigerians who believed the regulation of media space would hamper freedom of speech

- Former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, also supported the regulation of social media

Despite criticisms that greeted that proposed regulation of social media space by the upper legislative chamber, the minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has reiterated the position of the federal government that the social media should be regulated.

The Nation reports that Mohammed, who was represented by director, international cultural relations, Memunat Idu-Lah, also stated that the federal government’s resolve to regulate the social media was not designed to hamper freedom of expression or gag public discourse as being alleged.

Legit.ng gathered that he said the regulation would prevent the abuse of social media and its negative consequences.

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Social media bill: Okorocha, Lai Mohammed reveal why regulation is important — Senator Rochas Okorocha and the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed
Source: UGC

The minister who made the statement at the Annual Roundtable on Cultural Orientation (ARTCO) in Owerri, the Imo state capital, maintained that the phenomenon of hate speech, fake news and other forms of criminality which feature regularly on the social media have the potential to harm the nation’s security, national unity and our overall national interest.

The chairman, Senate committee on culture and tourism, Senator Rochas Okorocha, who was represented by his legislative assistant, Ikenna Emeh, also backed the call for the regulation of the social media.

Okorocha, however, warned that the regulation must be approached with caution so as not to be counter-productive.

He urged the federal government to carefully make a distinction between the fight against hate speech and the regulation of social media and determine the right approach to redress each of the malaise, instead of treating both as the same.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the chairman, Senate services committee, Senator Mohammed Musa, reiterated his call for the urgent enactment of social media regulation law in the country.