Dare Babalola
Senator Ned Nwoko has expressed concern over the unregulated nature of Nigeria’s social media space, citing a recent trending video as evidence.
In a statement via his Facebook page on Friday, Nwoko highlighted the damaging effects of unregulated social media, where false allegations can spread quickly and cause harm to individuals without consequence.
He wrote, “The accompaning video, trended a couple of days ago. It is testament to the fact that Nigerian social media space has become one of the most unregulated in the world. Laying very serious allegations have become a common trait to attract millions of views without recourse to the damaging effects on the people involved.”
Nwoko attributed this issue to the ease with which individuals can manipulate public emotions and evade accountability, emphasizing the need for regulation. He referenced a recent case, suggesting that such incidents justify the urgent passage of the social media bill pending at the National Assembly.
“Knowing that there could be evasion of consequences because they can easily prey on the emotions of Nigerians encourages this deviant behavior. This case and many others has now clearly justified the urgent need for the social media bill in the National Assembly,” the senator representing Delta North added.
The Senator urged social media companies to establish offices in Nigeria and take responsibility for content on their platforms. He questioned why foreign companies should be exempt from laws governing defamation, while local media houses comply with regulations.
Nwoko said, “You can’t lie to make money and turn around to apologize after criminally defaming and hurting people. It is time for social media companies to be mandated to open offices in Nigeria and to take responsibility for what they allow on their platforms.”
Nwoko emphasised that regulating social media would bring numerous benefits, including employment opportunities for Nigerians, technology transfer, tax revenue, and easier litigation processes. He also highlighted the importance of domiciling Nigerian records within the country, rather than relying on foreign control.
He said, “If landlords are being threatened with punishments for actions of their tenants who are yahoo boys, what stops social media companies from being held responsible for allowing defamatory contents in their platforms. All our local media houses comply with laws concerning defamation. Why make an exception for foreign companies who don’t pay taxes and ultimately avoid all manner of liabilities because of the absence of regulations.”
To achieve this, Nwoko is advocating for social media companies to register in Nigeria and open local offices, enabling them to contribute to the country’s development and cooperate with authorities in tracking criminal activities.
“We must effectively be able to apply regulations or there is no end to this. It’s Senator Ned today, who knows who is next? Please support my bill on the regulation of social media companies which simply seeks to get them to register in Nigeria and open their offices here,” he concluded.
