The plan to regulate social media in Nigeria because of being tagged a disseminator of fake news, pornography and other inherent abuses of the channel by divisive elements cannot fly for so many reasons this article will dwell on. Arising from their recent meeting in Kaduna on Monday to discuss EndSARS protests and insecurity in the country, the Northern Governors Forum, among other things, said “it took note of the devastating effect of uncontrolled social media in spreading fake news and called for major control and censorship of social media in Nigeria.”
The forum argued that the EndSARS protest was hijacked by some people to cause regime change outside the ballot box. The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, revealed the position of the forum. Those who attended the Kaduna parley included the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Musa Bello, Senate President, Ahmad Lawal, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
The governors also called for collective effort to address the lingering challenges in the North like Almajiri system, insecurity and poverty. The call to regulate the social media in the country is not new, especially in the life of this administration. There have been certain moves by some people in this administration to control the social media and by extension suppress freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right of all Nigerians. They have come under various bills to control the spread of fake news. The attempt to regulate the social media is against this section of the constitution. Interestingly, these attempts to muzzle the social media and Nigerian media generally did not work. Nigerians vehemently opposed them in whatever guise they were formulated.
For instance, Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution is very clear on the obligation of the mass media and states that “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.” In the same way, the new campaign to regulate and control social media will hit the rocks. Such an attempt can be described as dead on arrival. The control of the social media, I think, is the least problem facing this administration and Nigerians. In fact, the social media is not even a problem. I think the problem, if any, will have to do with usage just like the use of power by our politicians.
Agreed that social media can be abused. At the same time, political power can equally be abused and we have seen glaring examples in all tiers of government in Nigeria. The major problem of Nigeria since independence is the utter abuse of political powers. The abuse of political power is why Nigeria and indeed Africa is backward in terms of all indices of development. We have seen the mismanagement of the nation’s resources by succeeding administrations. Official corruption, nepotism and dictatorial tendencies of successive Nigerian leaders can account for why Nigeria is the way it is today. It is the sorry Nigeria state, epitomized by corrupt police unit, SARS that culminated in the recent EndSARS protest.
The protest is about police brutality. It is also about bad governance, political exclusion, restructuring and fiscal federalism. It is about devolution of more powers from the centre to the federating units. It is not about regime change as being insinuated in some quarters. It is about having a working and inclusive democracy and making Nigeria safe for all citizens. It is about ensuring security of lives and property in the country. The major reason behind the call for the regulation of the social media is that it is a means of spreading rumours and fake news.
This has been the position of the federal government. The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has reiterated this position time without number. I agree that some unscrupulous elements can use the social media to defraud people. It can also be used to promote negative ideas. It can be used to hack information. There is all manner of information and unpalatable contents in the social media. It can be used for cyber bullying and other crimes.
In spite of these lapses, the social media has many advantages. In fact, its advantages far outweigh its noticeable flaws. Before we throw away the baby with the bath water, it is necessary to examine the positive side of the social media. It aids the rapid dissemination of news and information. With the social media, nothing is secret and nothing is sacred anymore. The social media has brought to the fore the emergence of citizen journalism, where people who did not train as journalists practice the profession.
The citizen journalism has its good and bad sides too. While it helps to break certain news, it contributes to spreading false or unverified news. This is why the government is mooting the idea to control it. Social media has provided jobs for many people who ply their trades in the social media alone. Many professional journalists have established online mediums and are now employers of labour. Some people market their goods, services, talents via the social media. People now advertise their goods through the social media to reach a larger audience.
Good enough, some politicians have profited from social media campaigns, including some of those calling for its regulation. Some use it to pass information to their citizens or constituencies. During the coronavirus pandemic, the social media became an avenue for meetings, conferences, education and other good uses. The new normal means that most of our social interactions must be done via the social media. The social media has kept people staying connected. It can be used to create awareness. It is used for networking and partnerships, among others. Nigeria must not be excluded from the internet revolution as represented by the social media and its advantages.
The Nigerian youths will vehemently oppose any move to regulate or control the social media. Considering the many advantages of social media, it will be foolhardy for the government to contemplate ever controlling or regulating it. Doing so now will send wrong signals that the government wants to use the regulation of the social media to muzzle the press. The recent fines imposed on Arise, AIT and Channels Television by NBC over airing footages of the Lekki Shooting, which it said broke the broadcasting codes, has been interpreted as a subtle attempt to suppress the media.
Therefore, any move now to control the social media will amount to an attack on free speech in the country. Instead of taking this unpopular road, the government can devote more energy to tackle poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, insecurity, political exclusion, police brutality, corruption, and bad governance. It should stop distancing itself from the relentless calls for Nigeria to be restructured. Social media is not about fake news and pornography. It is not the cause of our problems. In fact, social media can be positively deployed to solve some of our problems. It can enhance transparency and accountability in government. Let us pay more attention to the positive sides of the social media and not the bad sides.