Don’t Shut Down Social Media, Reps To FG

Following repeated speculation about regulating social media, members of the House of Representatives have urged the Federal Government not to consider doing it.

Lawmakers serving on the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, made the call on Tuesday, October 27.

Recall that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who appeared before the committee to defend the 2021 budget proposed by his ministry, had argued in favour of regulating social media.

However, members of the committee frowned at the minister’s position on stringent regulation for social media users.

Speaking against the move, Odebunmi Olusegun a member of the committee warned against shutting down the social media space in the country. He urged the Federal Government to employ technology that will enable it to work with what currently exists in the social media world.

Also, Odebunmi Olusegun, another lawmaker said shutting down some social media applications like what occurs in China is counterproductive. He advocated for relevant laws to be enforced in checking the spread of fake news. Odebunmi said Nigeria should emulate how other democracies handle the challenges posed by social media.