President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, has voiced concerns over the impact of social media on society, advocating for its regulation during his representation of Tinubu at a book launch in Lagos. The book, titled “Nigerian Public Discourse: The Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole,” is authored by the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
The call for social media regulation was highlighted in a statement from Tunde Alao, Senior Special Assistant to the Media for Lagos State’s Deputy Governor, issued on Thursday. Gbajabiamila underscored the potential dangers of unregulated social media use, emphasizing the risk of widespread dissemination of information that could threaten individual security and societal peace.
The event, which also saw Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu represented by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, shed light on the Tinubu administration’s commitment to evidence-based discussions and data-driven policymaking. This approach aims to foster accurate policy formulation and execution to address national challenges effectively.
During the presentation, Hamzat emphasized the critical role of accurate data in national development and policy-making, especially for a developing country like Nigeria, where data scarcity hampers progress.
Fashola, reflecting on his 21 years of public service experience, shared that the publication aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on national development, expressing optimism for positive outcomes from the initiated conversation.
The call for social media regulation by Gbajabiamila comes amidst concerns from the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) regarding the potential infringement on freedom of expression and privacy. In October 2023, SERAP urged legislative leaders to reject a social media regulation bill, arguing that it threatens fundamental human rights, and called on the Tinubu administration to cease efforts to limit these rights through tech company restrictions.
