Social Media Bill: CSOs Tackle Senate At Public Hearing

Coordinator, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo has called for the jettisoning of a bill that will regulate the use of social media in Nigeria, entitled, Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill.
Speaking at the Public Hearing on the Social Media Bill, Nwankwo said that the Bill was completely unnecessary against the backdrop that Nigeria has existing laws that should be used instead of a new one.
The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele is in charge of the public hearing on a “A Bill for an Act to Make Provisions for the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations and for related matters, 2019( SB.132)”
In his remarks, Sponsor of the Bill and Chairman, Committee on Senate Services, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, ( APC, Niger East) said that the Bill was not designed to muddle up the freedom of speech of Nigerians, adding that nobody would block the social media of any Nigerian.
According to him, the Bill is not out to stop Nigerians from criticising the government.
Declaring open the Public Hearing, President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan who noted that the Senate had never assumed the position of knowing it all, said, “this hearing is a crucial one because the Bill has generated a lot of passion. The passion is not unexpected because the Bill relates to the Internet.
The Internet has become central to our lives, as it has reshaped how we live, work and how we interact.
“Like every other innovation, it has had its positive and negative sides. While it has somewhat made communication easier, faster and even cheaper, it has also affected our ability to easily trust some information.
“When this kind of situation arises, we should interrogate all the sides in the divides on a continuous basis.
Doing this will lead to a better understanding of the dimensions and provide an agreeable way forward.