FG Speaks on Plan To Regulate Social Media, Gives Reasons

• The federal government has hinted that it is working on regulations for social media in Nigeria
• The government cites the need to curb misinformation and hate speech as the rationale behind the proposed regulations
• An earlier move to regulate social media by the national assembly was rejected by civic societies and Nigerians

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience covering Tech, Energy, Stocks, Investments, and the Economy.

The administration of President Bola Tinubu is looking at a new regulation for social media in the country.

This was revealed 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.

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FG explains the importance on social media regulation

The Nation reports that Gbajabiamila said the 9th Assembly’s efforts to have a new regulation on social media were unsuccessful.

He noted that good intentions were misinterpreted, hence, the civil organisations vehemently opposed the move.

His words:

“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, 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.

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Gbajabiamila 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:

“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.”

Nigerian lady in EFCC net for selling her photographs and Facebook account

Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian lady identified as Precious Iwuji has been nabbed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials for allegedly selling her photos and Facebook account to 'Yahoo' boys.

In a post by @instablog9ja, the spokesman for EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said preliminary investigation revealed that the pictures and Facebook account the suspect sold to fraudsters were used in defrauding unsuspecting victims.

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Legit.ng gathers that the young lady was arrested in the Sabo area of Kaduna following information that she was allegedly involved in cyber fraud.

Source: Legit.ng