The Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, has reiterated that the state legislature will not support any form of restriction on social media freedom of expression and speech.
The speaker stated this in a tweet on Tuesday in response to calls by state governors to regulate the social media platforms for ‘fake news and hate speech’.
Oyo State Govt Legislature will not support any form of restriction on Social Media freedom of expression/speech in any way.
— Rt. Hon Adebo Ogundoyin (@Adebo_ogund) November 10, 2020
Last week, governors of northern states called for the censorship of social media to “avoid the spread of fake news”.
At a meeting in Kaduna, the governors said the effect of uncontrolled social media is devastating. They also condemned the “subversive” actions of some #EndSARS protesters, saying some people took advantage of peaceful protest to push their “separative agenda”.
On Sunday, their counterparts in the southwest and monarchs also called on the Federal Government to ensure the regulation of the social media.
In a communique issued after a meeting of the governors, traditional rulers and a Presidential delegation in Lagos yesterday, the leaders lamented the negative effect of fake news peddled on social media during the recent #EndSARS protests and the attendant violence.
The communique partly read, “We recognise the damaging and negative impact of fake/false news and worry about its destructive and dangerous potency of fake news. We call on the federal government to use the instrumentality of existing laws and those regulations bench-marked from other countries to provide safeguards against the spread of fake news. 2015 Cyber Act will also be fully used.
“Federal Government should ensure that technology is used effectively for the advancement of the Nigerian Security and not its destruction by working with the technology cum social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. The regime of checks and gatekeeping should be fully employed.”
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state also attended the meeting.
