By Saheed Ibrahim Opinions are divided over Federal Government’s plan to regulate the social media in the country.
Opinion poll conducted by The Hope, revealed that while some stakeholders lauded the initiative to checkmate fake news, others expressed fears that it could trample on the fundamental human rights of the people.
The stakeholders, who spoke in separate interviews with our reporters, however, berated the manner at which the social media platforms have been abused to promote fake news, leading to disorderliness, violence and destruction of lives and property in the country, especially in recent times.
They canvassed for measures to be taken to prevent the platforms from being used to promote fake news and incite violence in the society.
A Mass Communication scholar at Ahmadu Belllo University, Zaria, Prof. Suleiman Salau said, “sometimes when you go to social media and see what Nigerians dish out, you will know that it has been abused.”
He said although the social media platforms have some regulatory mechanisms but they were instituted for international issues and not local matters.
He however warned that government must not take advantage of the excesses of the social media to undermine the fundamental human rights of the people, especially freedom of speech, noting that the government should rather ensure peoples” rights are protected.
Similarly, the Ondo state Chairman ,Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Adetona Aderoboye said that attempt to use the social media regulation to hamper press freedom would be met with resistance.
He however noted that there would be no objection if the regulation was meant to curb fake news and abuse of the social media platforms.
“If the government wants to regulate social media and has good intention, especially if the intention is to bring peaceful coexistence, stability and maintain law and order in the society, I will have no objection because as a Nigerian and a public figure, I owe it a duty to bequeath a legacy of peace to upcoming generation.
“If however, the intention is to stifle press freedom, hamper journalists from performing their constitutional duties as the watchdog of the society and in essence, debar us from holding government accountable to the people, from speaking truth to power, we will use everything at our disposal to resist such regulations.
But if the intention is noble, then it is worth the while,” Aderoboye said.
While supporting Prof Salau and Comrade Aderoboye on social media regulation for orderliness and sanity in the society, the Ondo state Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Mr. Ishola Lamidi said the social media has become the fifth columnist and there would be no objection if the regulation is to make the users responsible and objective.
The lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University identified that the government, the mainstream media and the people have roles to play in order to check abuse of the social media platforms.
He suggested certain measures that could be instituted for operators of social media platforms in terms of knowledge and training.
The Public Relations professional added that the traditional media must complement government effort in ensuring that information on the social media are verified.
He also suggested that proper orientation should be given to social media users on information gathering, verification and dissemination, adding that they needed to be re-orientated on the need to act as responsible citizens of the country.
While noting that there is no country in the world with absolute press freedom, saying what is obtained is the level of regulation and freedom, Lamidi expressed strong objection to any attempt to use such regulation to gag the press and people’s freedom of expression.
“If regulating the social media will make the users responsible and make the society to be better, I don’t have any objection to that as long as it is not going to gag the media. If the purpose is to gag the social media operators, I out rightly object to that,” he stated.& Babatunde Ayedoju