Federal Government To Set Up Body To Regulate The Use Of Social Media In Nigeria

The National Council on Information (NCI) has recommended the “setting up of a council to regulate the use of social media in Nigeria”. The recommendation is contained in a communique issued at the end of Extraordinary Meeting of NCI on Hate Speeches, Fake News and National Unity held last week in Jos, Plateau state.

According to DailyTrust, the Council which was presided over by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, recommended the use of stringent measures in checking conventional media and their programmes. The Council noted that Social media has no address, and as such vetting and editing posting in social media might be difficult.

The Council also recommended that Information managers at the state level should open a website that would immediately counter report of any misinformation posted on social media.

It recommended immediate killing of whatever postings on social media assumed or presumed to be hate speeches or fake news or misinformation by the information managers in various states. The Council noted that social media might take over the 2019 elections because Nigerians have come to rely on information on social media than on conventional media.