Amidst the government’s failure to regulate the Nigerian economy and tackle insecurity, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, has called for the regulation of social media because of the menace it has brought to the society.
Gbajabiamila said this while representing Tinubu at the public presentation of a book, “Nigerian Public Discourse: The Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole” written by former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in Lagos.
His statement on why social media needs to be regulated indicated that:
Social media has become a societal menace and must be regulated. As many people do not understand that once the send button is hit, there is a potential to reach millions of people around the world which is capable of causing great danger not just in society but even unintended consequences to the individuals that are receiving information that may include security of life.
Furthermore, Tinubu stated that as citizens become more interested in governance, the government must ensure that engagement with citizens springs with shared agreement on what’s true, what is real, and what is not.
He berated freedom of speech as a tool in the dissemination of fake and wrong information which according to him has almost torn the country apart while stressing the need to regularise the framework of news dissemination on social media to avoid mis-information in the country.
This followed the administration’s blame on opposition parties for protests borne out of inflation, insecurity, and other public demands raising awareness of the government’s failure to protect and serve.
Meanwhile, citizen journalism through the use of social media contributes immensely to a democratic system of government as a tool to demand government’s accountability, transparency, fairness, and equity.
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