Nigerians on X platform (formerly Twitter) have lambasted the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila over the purported plan to regulate social media platforms in the country.
Gbajabiamila, while representing President Bola Tinubu at the launch of a book written by Babatunde Fashola, former minister of works, on Thursday in Lagos stressed the importance of accurate information in policy formulation and national development.
He warned against the danger of using social media in the dissemination of wrong information which has almost torn the country apart, stressing the need to regularize the framework of news dissemination on social media to avoid misinformation in the country.
“The social media has become a societal menace and must be regulated.
“As many people do not understand that once the send button is hit, there is a potential to reach millions of people around the world which is capable of causing great danger not just in the society but even unintended consequences to the individuals that are receiving information which may include security of life.
“As citizens become more interested in governance, it is the government’s obligation to ensure that engagement with citizens springs with shared agreement on what the truth is, what is real and what is not,” he said.
Reacting to Gbajabiamila’s comment, Nigerian netizens described it as a misplaced priority and urged the government to focus more on pressing socioeconomic issues affecting the country.
