The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Social media bill

  • Bill to regulate social media scales second reading in Senate

    Bill to regulate social media scales second reading in Senate

    • Proposed law seeks physical offices, registration, regulation of bloggers

    A Bill seeking to make it compulsory for social media platforms to have physical offices as well as formalise the registration and regulation of bloggers in Nigeria scaled the second read reading yesterday at the Senate.

    It was the Senate’s second attempt to regulate the social media in the country.

    Its first attempt during the Ninth National Assembly fizzled out after widespread criticisms and outcry by stakeholders who regarded it as an attempt to gag the media and contravene Section 39 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression provides.

    The Bill, among others, proposed that “bloggers must be properly registered and regulated to ensure professionalism, transparency, and responsibility in their operations”.

    The Bill, titled: “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, LFN, to Mandate the Establishment of Physical Offices within the Territorial Boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms, and for Related Matters, 2024,” according to the sponsor, Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), “seeks to correct a glaring omission in how multinational social media companies engage with our country”.

    In his lead debate, Nwoko said the Bill borders on a “matter that is not only of national importance but is also central to Nigeria’s sovereignty, economy, and technological development”.

    He noted that the Bill was read for the first time on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

    Read Also; ​TIMELINE of Wike-Fubara fight, Rivers political crisis since 2023

    According to him, Nigeria is not just the most populous country in Africa; it is also one of the most active when it comes to digital engagement.

    He noted that with over 220 million people, social media has become an essential part of the people’s daily lives.

    “According to the Global Web Index, as reported by Business Insider Africa, Nigerians rank first in Africa and second globally in terms of daily social media usage, spending an average of 3 hours and 46 minutes online.

    “Platforms, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat, have become indispensable to millions of our people…

    He said: “The lack of a local presence creates a disconnect between the platforms and their Nigerian user base. Resolving user complaints, addressing regulatory concerns, or managing content moderation issues specific to Nigeria often takes longer due to the geographical and cultural distance.

    “The absence of physical offices has deprived us of numerous opportunities. Economically, it denies Nigeria the benefits of job creation in areas such as customer service, content moderation, legal compliance, and marketing. Imagine the thousands of young Nigerians who could be employed by these companies, gaining valuable skills and contributing to our economy.

    “Technology transfer is another area where Nigeria stands to benefit immensely. Countries, like China and South Korea, became leaders in electronics and automobile manufacturing by fostering local partnerships with foreign firms and adapting their technologies.

    “If these social media giants establish a local presence, Nigerian engineers, developers, and tech professionals will have the opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in the world and adapt cutting-edge technologies…”

    Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged the sponsor of the Bill to ensure that its real intendment was not confused with an attempt to gag the media through the Red Chamber.

    He expressed optimism that the provisions of the Bill would be appropriately dissected by stakeholders during a public hearing to ensure that its content does not impinge on the freedom of expression and the media in the country.

  • Finally Senate throws out anti-social media bill

    The Senate on Tuesday withdrew the controversial bill for an Act to prohibit frivolous petitions popularly called anti-social media bill 2016.
    The withdrawal of the bill, sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, followed the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, that worked on it.
    Chairman of the Committee, Senator David Umaru who presented the report, told the Senate that his committee recommended that the bill be withdrawn.
    Senator Umaru said that the committee observed that the intendment of the bill is to check the upsurge in multiple, anonymous frivolous petitions and publication in the social media, especially, since the emergence of democratic experiment in the country.
    He informed the Senate that majority of stakeholders at the public hearing on the bill vehemently opposed the passage into law of the bill, as it is perceived as a step that will take the country back, especially now that the world has become a global village.
    Senator Umaru also said that his committee observed that the use of the words “petitions,” “complaints,” “statements,” “investigations,” “inquiry,” and “inquest,’ in the bill are too open ended and appeared to have unwittingly extended the scope of the prohibition imposed by the bill to all complaints and reports (written or oral) made to law enforcement agencies and other government institutions that have powers to investigate or make inquiries (including internal administrative inquiries relating to staff) or inquest.
    He noted that in a democratic society, any law that is perceived to obviate or is capable of unduly abridging the fundamental rights of the citizen to privacy and free speech, should be jettisoned and or modified by the legislature, so as not to unduly restrict the hard earned freedom, guaranteed by the constitution.
    He said that the committee further observed that the bill seems to oppress persons who have grievances to complain against, or to give information, which could be helpful to security agencies, anti-crime agencies in the fight against terrorism and corruption.
    He noted that the bill tacitly imposes on the petitioner the duty of conducting investigation before reporting any crime or matter.
    He said that the members of the committee were convinced that the passage of the bill into law will conflict with some provisions in some of the country’s extant Acts, which make provisions for whistle-blower protection in the country.
    When Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who presided put it to question whether the bill should be withdrawn as recommended by the committee, the recommendation was overwhelmingly supported.
    Ekweremadu said that the beauty of what they did was that not all bills that came to the floor of the Senate should be deemed passed.
    He said that the Senate should be given the benefit of the doubt to treat every bill on its merit.
  • Senate will expunge anti-social media bill – Saraki

    Senate will expunge anti-social media bill – Saraki

    The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has assured that the Senate will expunge Section 4 of the Anti-Frivolous Petitions Bill, popularly known as ‘Anti-Social Media Bill,’ to give the media the freedom it deserved.

    Saraki said this in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on New Media, Mr Bankole Omishore and issued to Journalists on Friday in Abuja.

    The Senate President gave the assurance while delivering a keynote address at an interactive session of Social Media Week in Lagos.
    According to the statement, he.promised that the National Assembly would not pass any bill that would gag the media or infringe on the rights of Nigerians.

    He recounted the critical role played by online media in the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections.

    He said that social media ensured that manipulation of votes was reduced to the barest minimum because results were posted online as the elections progressed.

    He urged Nigerians to continue to contribute to the development of the country through dialogue and debate on social media.
    The Senate President assured that the legislature would be open to Nigerians as part of its effort to ensure transparency and accountability.

    Saraki said that the recent interactive session between the National Assembly and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) was part of such efforts.

    Saraki assured that the legislature would, from 2017, engage CSOs in budget hearing process to ensure inclusiveness.

    It would be recalled that the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Na’ Allah sponsored a Bill for Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions, and other matters connected therewith in 2015.

    The bill scaled second reading on the floor of the senate and it is scheduled for public hearing in March.[incor]

  • Social media bill shouldn’t be Senate’s priority 

    SIR: The uproar generated by the Social media bill continues to rage on by the day. Much as it  has been argued that there has been an infiltration of the media space by mischievous persons, who use the platform to wrong reasons such as perpetration of fraud, intrusion into privacy, pornography, defamation, among others, the bill is against the tenets of democracy.

    There is no gainsaying that if passed into law, it will restrict freedom of expression and press freedom protected under the Nigerian constitution. No doubt, censorship attacks the very foundation of a free society and ridicules not only Nigeria but democracy as a form of government. The fact that the Upper Chamber has gone this far on the bill could cost the nation its respect among the comity of nations. As the Fourth Estate of the Realm, the media possesses a sacred duty to hold government accountable. Nigeria is reputed as the largest mobile market, subscribers and social media users.

    The usefulness of the media goes much wider than investigating abuses or news reporting; it lies in holding governments to account; trying them in the court of public opinion, meaning that the importance of the New Media to national development cannot be over-emphasized. Rather than throwing away the baby with the bath water, it is imperative to state that the advantage of the citizen journalist is vital, especially where the conventional media has failed in its agenda-setting responsibilities. Responsible citizen journalism is about prompt, timely, spontaneous and oftentimes, unrefined information dissemination.

    Rather that weaken this means of communication, it should be encouraged and monitored just like other broadcast media but not gagged the way our Senate is going about it. The Federal Government should rather make the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) exist not only in letter, but in spirit such that the media would play a crucial role in rebuilding the nation. It was reassuring to learn that President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the commitment of his administration to safeguard free speech in keeping with democratic tradition.

    That is why the new bill should not be a priority of the Senate. Rather, Nigerians would be excited to know that the Upper House is assiduously working on passing bills that would alleviate the suffering of the people. Without prejudice, our legislature, as an arm of government, is perceived as ineffective in carrying out its statutory functions. For instance, the 7th Senate threw decorum overboard on its final day and passed 46 bills in 10 minutes by jettisoning its own rules stipulating three readings before a bill could be debated before passage. The senators were so much in a hurry that it did not really digest the laws they hurriedly passed by simply approving them by a controversial voice vote! This funny legislative rascality repeated itself few days ago, as the Lower House equally passed a total of 130 bills at the first reading, a development the Speaker described as “unprecedented”, as the Clerk of the House got tired reading out the titles of the bill!

    Rather than chasing minor issues, members of the 8th Senate should channel their energies into finishing outstanding and unfinished business of the previous Senate, same for the House of Representatives.

    The lack of strong institutions and purposeful executive could be attributed to why the parliament could stall important bills like the Petroleum Industry Bill and Railway Amendment Bill that would have stimulated massive investments, employment and solve many nagging problems. Apart from doing very little to promote good governance, we recall that the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, once cried out that the over N150 billion spent on the parliament, which amounted to a quarter of the total federal wage bill, was bogus and should be reduced. Our senators should retrace their steps, heed the wise counsel IPI, which says, “Don’t amend, just drop the anti-social media bill altogether!”

     

    • Adewale Kupoluyi 

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

     

  • Senate may withdraw social media bill – Sani

    The Senate is not averse to the withdrawal of the proposed media bill if it is not in the interest of Nigerians, Senator Shehu Sani has said.

    The senator representing Kaduna Central said that the bill which has passed Second Reading in the red chamber may not see the light of day if it is not in the interest of Nigerians.

    Sani said he was deeply concerned that issues about the bill would give Nigeria a bad name and the credibility of its democracy would be doubted.

    There had been public criticism against the proposed social media bill sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na’allah, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress from Kebbi State.

    The Senator spoke on Sunrise Daily, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He said the Senate would listen to the outburst that has trailed the bill, adding that the red chamber would consider what is best for the country when it comes up in the chamber.

    He said: “There is nothing wrong if the senators will say okay we understand such fears now and the Senate as a democratic institution takes a reverse. But it has to move the through the parliamentary procedure for such to take place.

  • NLC, NPAN, NPO, others condemn Social Media Bill

    NLC, NPAN, NPO, others condemn Social Media Bill

    Protesters storm National Assembly 

    Thousands of protesters stormed the National Assembly yesterday, demanding immediate withdrawal of the controversial bill pending in the Senate.

    The bill, popularly described as an “Anti-Social Media Bill”, attracted the protesters from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    The angry protesters, made up of coalition of civil societies organizations, said the bill would criminalise free speech in the country.

    The bill, they further said, was in direct contradiction of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Section 39(1) of the country’s 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    The protesters, in a letter to Senate President Bukola Saraki, warned that if the Senate continued with the bill, they would be forced to pressure the international community to impose travel ban on the Nigerian legislators.

    The protest letter was endorsed by Aisha Yesufu, Anthony Ehilebo, Ariyo Atoye, Mukhtar Dan ‘Iyan and Dr. Ahmad Isa on behalf of the civil societies.

    Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Shehu Sani, who addressed the protesters, received the letter on behalf of Saraki.

    Abaribe and Sani promised to communicate issues raised by the protesters to relevant committee

    THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and Nigerian Press Organisation as well as a coalition of civil society groups, comprising the Institute of Media and Society (IMESO), Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC), have condemned the proposed Social Media Bill, which is before the Senate.

    NLC, in a statement issued yesterday by its Acting President, Peters Adeyemi, said attempt by the Senate to gag Nigerians and prevent them from speaking their minds on issues was designed to scuttle the nation’s democratic governance.

    The congress said the bill, titled: “Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Related Matters Bill”, sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’Allah (All Progressives Congress, Kebbi South), was unacceptable to workers and should “not be allowed to see the light of day”.

    Adeyemi said the bill was a sad reminder of the military era when journalists were arrested for writing what the military junta considered spiteful.

    He added that it was contrary to the provisions of the constitution and other international conventions on free speech.

    The statement said: “The bill is coming at a time we expect our legislators and indeed, all Nigerians to recommit themselves to actions and legislations that can contribute to deepening democracy as well as fight against corruption in our country.

    “The bill, which proposes an option of N4 million as fine for those claimed to have made false newspaper, radio or television statements and N2 million for those claimed to have made false phone text messages or statements on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, or WhatsApp is a sad reminder of the military era, when journalists were mindlessly hurled into jail for writing what the military junta considered spiteful.

    “For us, we believe our legislators should know our country is in dire need of strong legislations on critical areas of our national life that demands speedy attention rather than concentrate on frivolous, uncivilised, image damaging debates on a bill that is obviously intended to circumscribe the rights of Nigerians to ask questions when their leaders engage in conducts that further injure our collective interests and image.”

    The NPAN and NPO, in a statement by their president, Nduka Obaigbena, urged the National Assembly to cease and desist from considering or  passing any laws seeking to abridge constitutionally  guaranteed  free speech.

    Obaigbena said such laws would “not only be unconstitutional, they undermine our system of democracy and the rights we all fought for”.

    He added: “We cannot because of a few irritations on the social media seek to clamp down on the rights of citizens to freely hold and share opinion on any platform.

    “We believe any untruths should be confronted by facts not laws, and indeed the Freedom of Information Act should be enhanced to promote more openness in governance.”

    A coalition called, comprising IMESO, MRA and IPC, in a statement, said they came to the conclusion that the bill constituted a threat to democracy because it seeks to repress the social media, the conventional media, the civil society and the citizenry as a whole.

    The statement reads: “In the light of all the pressing development challenges confronting the country, which should be the priorities of the senators and all other persons exercising any form of political power or authority, the PAMED is of the view that the bill itself is frivolous and unwarranted.

    “The bill, through its frivolous content and malicious intent, seeks to achieve nothing other than undermining freedom of expression, press freedom, public participation in governance and democracy.”

    The coalition said the only path of honour left for the Senate was to immediately and without any further ado drop the bill, “otherwise it would continue to bring upon itself more pubic odium, derision and protests”.

     

  • NPAN to Senate: Don’t consider anti-social media bill

    NPAN to Senate: Don’t consider anti-social media bill

    The attention of the NPAN has been drawn to a so called Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Matters Connected Therewith currently being considered in the Senate of The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The NPAN urges the National Assembly to cease and desist from considering or  passing any laws seeking to abridge constitutionally  guaranteed  free speech as such laws will not only be unconstitutional, they  undermine our system of democracy and the rights we all fought for.

    We cannot because of a few irritations on the social media seek to clamp down on the rights of citizens to freely hold and share opinion on any platform.

    We believe any untruths should be confronted by facts not laws, and indeed the Freedom of Information Act should be enhanced to promote more openness in governance.

    Very many thanks

     

    NDUKA OBAIGBENA

    President NPAN.

    President NPO.

     

  • Buhari ‘won’t assent inconsistent Social Media Bill’

    Buhari ‘won’t assent inconsistent Social Media Bill’

    •Guild of Editors, NUJ seek suspension of proceedings

    President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the commitment of his administration to protect free speech in keeping with democratic tradition.

    He promised that he won’t assent to any legislation that might be inconsistent with the constitution.

    This followed public hostility towards the Social Media Bill being debated by the Senate.

    Reacting to the public outcry against the bill, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said Buhari has sworn to defend the constitution and would not lend his hand to anything that was inconsistent with the document.

    “But he is not averse to lawful regulation, so long as that is done within the ambit of the constitution, which he swore to uphold,” he said.

    Shehu added that the President said free speech was central to democratic societies anywhere in the world.

    Without free speech, the president explained that elected representatives won’t be able to gauge public feelings and moods about governance issues.

    “As a key component of democratic principles,” the president acknowledged that people in democratic societies “are so emotionally attached to free speech that they would defend it with all their might”.

    Noting that Buhari was aware of the public reservations about the proposed legislation, he said the President has assured that there was no cause for alarm.

    “Because the Senate is a democratic Senate, the President won’t assent to any legislation that may be inconsistent with the constitution of Nigeria,” he stated.

    But the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have urged the Senate to unconditionally suspend proceedings on the bill.

    President of NGE GarbaDeen Muhammad, in a statement yesterday, said the broad objective of the bill was to outlaw the freedom of expression of the citizens and freedom of speech of media organisations operating in print, electronic and on-line platforms.

    The statement further reads: “Appallingly, the bill has also included as its target very personal and private means of communication such as SMS or text messages and WhatsApp, among others.

    “The freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed in section 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution respectively. Therefore, to enact any kind of law under any guise that will contradict these fundamental provisions is to deliberately seek to undermine the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “We are, therefore, concerned that a group of persons elected by Nigerians to ensure that their rights, privileges and interests are protected, should gleefully misuse the mandate given to them to the detriment of the same people that elected them.

    “As other concerned individuals and groups have pointed out, the Senate should note that there are already existing laws in our constitution that can accommodate all the concerns, real or imagined, that the proposed Bill is expected to address. These laws include the Cyber Crime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, the Libel law etc.

    “In view of this and the glaring danger posed by the proposed bill, the NGE is strongly advising the Senate to drop all proceedings on the proposed Bill and turn its attention instead to critical areas in need of urgent intervention.

    “While believing that members of the Senate have a right both individually and collectively to express their concerns about the abuse of the cyberspace by unscrupulous people and organisations, we advise them to consolidate or strengthen the existing laws and enforce implementation.”

    National President of NUJ Waheed Odusile yesterday vowed that the media would not allow the bill to see the light of the day.

    He said this at a lecture titled: “Nigeria Beyond Oil”, which was part of activities marking the 2015 Press Week of NUJ, Oyo State Council in Ibadan.

    Odusile said what the proponents of the controversial bill were trying to do was to bring back the  Decree 4 of 1983 to satisfy their selfish interests, adding that “it is a law targetted at restricting freedom of expression”.

    Imploring NUJ state councils to submit petitions at their respective state assemblies, he    said the union would mobilise its members to the National Assembly to stop the bill whenever it is presented for public hearing.

  • Social media bill, assault on rights

    Social media bill, assault on rights

    SIR: On Wednesday, December 2, a bill designed to gag the social media in Nigeria passed a second reading on the floor of the Nigerian Senate, exactly a week it received first reading. The urgency with which the bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith” (sponsored by one Senator Bala N’Allah representing Kebbi South) was passed clearly suggests the intent of its proponents and fellow collaborators. With apologies to Prof Wole Soyinka, our senators are fast taking Nigeria one step forward and two steps backward. While the nation is facing serious economic crises, infrastructural decay, corruption, and grievous security threats from insurgents, our senators, whom many preferably call jokers, are busy chasing harmless social media users.

    Gagging the social media will do more harm than good. At best, it will help polarize an already fragile nation the more. One wonders if the supporters of the bill even think about the consequences of their action. I even doubt if they take into consideration the fact that the more you push people to the wall, the more aggressive they become. Nigeria is a nation in which millions of youths wake up every morning with a bleak future; no satisfying job, no access to reliable and affordable internet facilities, electricity is not stable, and yet those who have been elected to make laws that will make their lives better appear to be doing exactly the opposite. Isn’t that akin to sitting on an explosive device?

    The proponents of this draconian bill claim that it is meant to protect persons or institutions of government from false and abusive statements through the social media. They also proposed two years imprisonment and/or a fine of N2 million for those who are found guilty. But we need to remind them that there are already established penalties for libel, defamation and similar offences under the Law of Tort. So they don’t need to hide under the guise of bringing ‘sanity’ into the country’s opinion pool. If I may ask, who decides what information is “false” or not? What if the social media accounts of patriotic Nigerians, especially the critics of government, are hacked by criminals to post “false statements”? Who goes to prison or who pays the N2 million fines? Maybe Senators Bukola Saraki or Dino Melaye or Biodun Olujimi or Ali Ndume should provide some clues.

    Although I do not support the posting of false information or the assassination of characters through any means, including the social media, but censoring the primary means of communication in a country whose journey to democracy has just begun is a misplaced priority. As far as I’m concerned, it’s an attempted ‘murder’ on the rights of Nigerians who use the social media. It doesn’t matter what excuse the proponents put forward, it’s a wrong step in the wrong direction happening at the wrong time.

    Our senators should know that no matter how much they try, Nigerians will not allow their scheme see the light of the day. Nigerians have come to be well known for flushing out impunity and any act that threatens the growth of democracy in the country. So opposition to the retrogressive Social Media Bill will not be an exception.

     

    Kofoworola Ayodeji,

    kennydamola@yahoo.com