Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, has said he sees nothing wrong with the proposed Social Media Bill.
The Bill was introduced by the Senate in November 5, 2019 to criminalise the use of the social media in peddling false or malicious information.
The original title of the bill is Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill 2019 and it was sponsored by Senator Mohammed Sani Musa.
The bill which already passed second reading at the Senate was initially suspended following outcry from Nigerians, however there are reportedly plans to make the bill pass third reading as it is believed that social media was largely used in the coordination of the recent nationwide #EndSARS protest.
However, many Nigerians especially youths have expressed disapproval against the Bill, saying it is aimed at gagging the press and infringing on the expression rights of individuals.
Senator Ndume while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics however disagrees with this view, saying that he feels “there is nothing wrong in having social media bill”.
Ndume who stated clearly that he is not saying freedom of speech should be muzzled, noted, however, that people should be held responsible for what they say or do.
The lawmaker was of the opinion that there should be a kind of law that controls or guides the way people express themselves on social media.
He added that “anything in this world that has no control can be disastrous”.
