NewsNigeriaFormer FCT Minister Urges FG to Focus on Good Governance Rather Than Social Media Regulation

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A former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT, Jeremiah Useni, has cautioned the Federal Government against its decision to regulate the Social Media in Nigerian, adding that those seeking for social media regulation must exercise restraints to avoid selfish reasons to cloud their judgement.

The former Senator who represented the Plateau South in the National Assembly noted that those in authority should be more concerned with transforming governance to have positive impact on the lives of the common citizens rather than showing obsession with the regulation of the social media.

Useni spoke at the inaugural lecture of the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Correspondence Chapel in Jos. The inaugural lecture is titled, “Insecurity and the quest for lasting peace in Nigeria: the role of the media”.

He stressed that censoring the social media would have negative impact on the traditional media and journalists in the country as the civil society and the public would be denied the opportunity to demand accountability and good governance from the constituted authority.

Useni who was represented by his Media Consultant, Yiljap Abraham, posited that instead of regulating the social media, why can’t the authority transform governance to make positive impact in the lives of its citizens.

Adding that the social media are already self-regulated by conditions that the news, conversations or dialogue on the platforms are monitored and controlled as defined guidelines by their various administrators.

“The danger of this move is when any regulatory agency becomes captured by the people it is supposed to regulate. For instance, a situation where an agency that is supposed to regulate social media is captured by politicians and activists who might want to use their position to suppress the arguments of their political opponents.

“While I do not condone the act of dissemination of fake news, but I also frown at the attempt to hide under fake news to regulate the social media for selfish reasons.”

Bada Yusuf Amoo (Correspondent)

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