Should social media be regulated?
Daily Trust Saturday
There have been statements by federal government officials to regulate social media use in the country. This will be the second time the issue of regulatingsocial media will be discussed in Nigeria following the temporary shutdown of X formerly Twitter in 2021. In this Vox Pop, spoke to some Nigerians about their thoughts on the issue.
Joshua Dangana, engineer, 59, Abuja
What is the government scared of? That is not the most important issue in the country right now. What’s the government doing about the current insecurity ravaging the country, coupled with the economic hardship? Innocent citizens are starving and dying unjustly and they are talking about regulating the social media. What an absolute joke of a government!
Those who cannot govern competently are looking to regulate social media because it holds their feet to the fire. Have they thought of regulating the price of food stuffs? I could remember a country I visited, every morning, government will publish how much a kilo of chicken will be sold, even tomatoes. In other countries, manufacturers will put maximum retail price on their products and no one dare sell above that price. What stops Nigerian politicians from applying what they see abroad here?
Akawu Ibrahim, journalist, 52, Abuja
The last administration had thought of regulating the social media but citizens rose against it. The social media is a cardinal platform that citizens use to express themselves. And expressing oneself is a fundamental right enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Government cannot gag the people by regulating the social media. Doing so is suppressing the right of citizens. I advise the government to suspend that idea and think of something better. Social media has provided opportunities for easy interaction; it has given citizens the opportunity to voice out their views. And it’s even the platform that government uses to gauge the feelings of its citizens. So, it’s also beneficial to the government, not just the citizens alone. The current administration came into power through the use of social media. The current administration used the social media during campaigns to communicate to voters. So, the idea of regulating the social media should be thrown away. In Nigeria, even when leaders know where the problem is, they would prefer to treat the wound using different mechanisms. Government should address the problems holding us back instead of trying to regulate social media that allows people the opportunity to be heard.