Federal Government says no plan to shut down social media

Federal Government says no plan to shut down social media

- The federal government has revealed that it has no intention of shutting down social media

- Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture made this known on Thursday, November 19

- According to the minister, the government only plans to regulate social media

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Amid fears of shutting down the internet or social media in Nigeria over the #EndSARS protest, the federal government has clarified its position.

The Nigerian government on Thursday, November 19, stated that it will regulate social media and not shut it down.

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, in a statement made available to Legit.ng added that the government would work with stakeholders to curb the abuse of social media.

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FG says no plan to shut down social media
Lai Mohammed said the federal government plans to regulate and not shut down social media. Photo credit: The Guardian
Source: UGC

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Mohammed speaking further at a press conference on the EndSARS protest and its aftermath in Abuja noted that social media was used wrongly to cause chaos in the wake of the demonstration.

Recall that during the EndSARS nationwide protests in Nigeria, there were fears that the social media would be shut down by the federal government, but that did not happen.

The minister of youth and sports, Sunday Dare, said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government allowed the cyberspace in the country to remain open so as not to infringe on Nigerians' right to freedom of speech.

Dare, during an interview on Channels TV, said this resolve by the president is contrary to some of the restrictive measures adopted by the government of other nations.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Olumide Akpata, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), faulted the move by the federal government to regulate social media.

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Akpata believes the timing to further regulate social media is wrong, adding that he struggles with the terms.

The NBA president said he thinks the social media space is regulated already. He went on to question if the government plans to regulate or shut down social media.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Oluwatobi Bolashodun avatar

Oluwatobi Bolashodun Oluwatobi Bolashodun is a journalist with six years of working experience in the media industry. She graduated from Babcock University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication. Oluwatobi is a former Legit.ng Current Affairs Editor, mostly writing on political, educational, and business topics.