While Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) backed the move to regulate the social media, lawyers were however divided over the matter.
NUJ President Chris Isiguzo said social media regulation was long overdue as activities of its actors “have become something else.”
“When we talk about fake news, dissemination of hate speeches, they are so prevalent in social media. These people don’t have any form of regulation; once you have a smartphone you just begin to send all manner of things,” he said.
However, the Convener of Good Governance Team Nigeria, Tunde Salman, said government had “surreptitiously started regulating the social media as evident in the increasing harassment of bloggers and other social media activists for one flimsy excuse or the other.”
Similarly, Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere, said the move to regulate the social media only further confirmed that the present government lacked agenda for the welfare of the people.
“Poverty is rising coupled with the spate of insecurity and other challenges that have been compounded by the lack of clear-cut agenda. And they are not concerned with how to fulfil their promises and help the cause of the country.
“What matters to them now is to stifle one of the few avenues for the suffering Nigerians to express their minds, and curtail their rights to fundamental freedom,” Onyekpere said.
Also, Director, Centre for Democracy and Development, Idayat Hassan, alleged that regulating social media “is another move by APC government to clamp down on free speech, dissent and the civic space.”
According to her, “there is no evidence to suggest that regulation, or whatever name they call it, will reduce fake news or hate speech.”
Executive Director, YIAGA-AFRICA, Samson Itodo said it was unfortunate that the government that benefited from social media “is turning around to regulate the same tool citizens have for holding government to account.”
According to him, “fake news and disinformation are a global phenomenon that needs to be addressed. Other nations did not deal with fake news by regulating social media or limiting free speech.”
Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, a human rights activist, said the conformity that the government must envisage is as regards Section 45(1) of the Constitution, which provides for “restriction and or derogation from fundamental human right,” including freedom of speech.
Section 45(1) states that, “Nothing in sections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of this Constitution shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society… (a) in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or (b) for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom or other persons.”
On his part, Mr Egobuokolobia M.D. Umukoro said: “The government can only restrict members of the security from such use. This is important because once there are restrictions on citizens’ right to freely express themselves there cannot be freedom.”
A pro-democracy activist and former senator, Mr Shehu Sani, said the intended regulation of the social media by the Federal Government might be a veiled attempt to get at critics.
Sani said regulating the social media to combat fake news and hate speeches will end up targeting critics of government policies and the opposition.
He said there were enough laws in the country to prosecute defamation, libel and incitement, hence a new law specifically for the social media will only be a new step to emasculate free speech.
We are waiting for the committee report
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