Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says social media must be regulated so that it does not destroy Nigeria.
He said the ease with which fake news and misinformation circulate on social media makes its regulation inevitable.
The minister disclosed this Tuesday during his ministry’s 2021 budget defence before the house committee on information, national orientation, ethics and values.
Mohammed said he was not advocating total shut down “because the social media has come to stay.”
However, he said it must be regulated to combat fake news and misinformation.
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“The biggest challenge facing Nigeria today is fake news and misinformation.
“Based on that, we dedicated an entire national council on information’s meeting to that issue, after which we launched a national campaign against fake news in July 2018.
“We said, then, that the next war will be fought without a shot being fired, but with the use of fake news.
“We didn’t stop there. We went on a tour of all media houses to solicit their support in the fight against fake news. We launched the campaign to regulate social media, which was bitterly contested by the stakeholders. We kept saying that if we don’t regulate social media, it will destroy us. Social media and fake news will not destroy Nigeria.
“The recent #EndSARS war was fought on social media. They mobilised using the social media. The war today revolves around two things; smartphone and data. And these young men don’t even watch television or listen to radio or read newspapers.
“You will be shocked that when you start arguing with your children, they will be quoting social media. So, we need a social media policy in Nigeria and we need to empower the various agencies and we need technology to be able to regulate social media.”
However, the committee members tackled the minister, saying his proposal could be misread as a plot to stifle free speech and endanger the nation’s democracy.
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