Connect with us

General

Social Media Bill: FG to Meet Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Others

Published

on

social media bills

By Dipo Olowookere

Efforts are being made by federal government to meet owners of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and others.

Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, informed national executive of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by its president, Mr Chris Isiguzo, that the proposed meeting is to carry them along on the anticipated social media bill before the National Assembly.

Mr Mohammed, who said government will not back down on the bill, noted that stakeholders would have to gather to choose the best available options for regulating social media so as to clampdown on hate speech and fake news.

”Let me be clear: We are going ahead with our plan to stop, as much as we can, the anarchists, non-patriots and purveyors of fake news and hate speeches.

“No responsible government will sit by and allow these purveyors of fake news and hate speech a free reign. That’s why many countries of the world are taking measures to regulate the social media,” Mr Mohammed said.

He listed the options open to the government in regulating the social media as including technology, legislation and the use of regulatory bodies, saying, “It is up to the stakeholders to decide the best option.”

“But we have also taken the initiative to meet, very soon, with the platform owners, like Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, Twitter and Instagram, among others, to engage them on the way forward,” the Minister said.

He called on NUJ to lead the ongoing efforts to rid the social media of fake news and hate speech, emphasising that it was in the interest of the organisation and other media bodies to be in the vanguard of the campaign.

“As a matter of fact, the NUJ and other media professional bodies should take the lead in sanitizing the social media space, because they will be the first victim when the people lose confidence in the media due to the reckless actions of non-journalists and purveyors of fake news and hate speech,” he said.

The Minister stressed that the plan by federal government to regulate the social media was not aimed at gagging journalists or stifling free speech, saying “only the purveyors of fake news and hate speech need to be worried.”

He assured that the federal government will not act unilaterally in deciding the strategy to adopt in regulating the social media, saying, “We will work with stakeholders, including the NUJ, Guild of Editors, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, the Civil Society, Online Publishers, Bloggers, etc.”

According to him, while the debate on the social media regulation has been robust, with some commentators supporting the plan and others opposing it, the federal government will not relent in its quest to inject sanity into the social media.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

General

US Strikes Terrorists in Sokoto on Trump’s Directive (VIDEO)

Published

on

donald trump 47th US President

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.

On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.

According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who​ have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.

“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.

“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;

https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272

Continue Reading

General

Gbajabiamila Remains President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff—Presidency

Published

on

femi gbajabiamila Hakeem Muri-Okunola

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.

It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.

Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.

In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”

“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.

“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.

“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.

Continue Reading

General

Eyesan Promises Bold Reset in Nigeria’s Upstream Sector as New NUPRC Head

Published

on

oritsemeyiwa Eyesan

By Adedapo Adesanya

The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.

She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.

Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.

In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.

“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.

“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.

The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.

The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.

On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.

“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.

Continue Reading

Trending