The National Council on Information (NCI)
has recommended the “setting up of a
council to regulate the use of social media in
Nigeria”. The recommendation is contained
in a communique issued at the end of
Extraordinary Meeting of NCI on Hate
Speeches, Fake News and National Unity
held last week in Jos, Plateau state.
According to DailyTrust, the Council which
was presided over by the Minister of
Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed,
recommended the use of stringent
measures in checking conventional media
and their programmes. The Council noted
that Social media has no address, and as
such vetting and editing posting in social
media might be difficult.
.
The Council also recommended that
Information managers at the state level
should open a website that would
immediately counter report of any
misinformation posted on social media.
.
It recommended immediate killing of
whatever postings on social media assumed
or presumed to be hate speeches or fake
news or misinformation by the information
managers in various states. The Council
noted that social media might take over the
2019 elections because Nigerians have
come to rely on information on social media
than on conventional media.
