NIGERIA: Reject Bill To Regulate Social Media, SERAP Tells Akpabio, Abbas

 

Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, have been pushed to “reject the recently reintroduced social media regulation bill.” In a statement on Sunday, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said that the passage of the bill “would unduly restrict the rights to freedom of expression and privacy,” and suggested President Bola Tinubu’s administration to stop its efforts to drive technological firms like Google and YouTube to restrict such “fundamental human rights.”

The group’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, believes the bill would “criminalise the legitimate and lawful exercise of human rights.” Warning that the passage of the bill “would unduly restrict the rights to freedom of expression and privacy,” the group asked President Bola Tinubu’s administration to stop its efforts to compel technological firms like Google and YouTube to restrict such “fundamental human rights.”

The statement read, “The National Broadcasting Commission last week reportedly stated that, “one of Nigeria’s major problems now is social media,” and described social media as “a monster.” “In the letter dated 14 October 2023, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “social media is neither Nigeria’s problem nor a monster. Any regulation of it would have arbitrary and excessive effects, and cause incalculable damage, both in material and human rights terms.

“Any move to regulate social media would be inconsistent and incompatible with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international human rights obligations.” “The reintroduction of the social media regulation bill would lead to deterioration of the human rights situation in the country and carry major economic costs for all sectors, as well as exacerbate social and economic inequalities.”