NBC had announced the submission of a bill seeking to regulate social media to the National Assembly. The bill seeks to repeal and reenact the NBC Act, CAP L11 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Human rights and pro-democracy group, Take-It-Back Movement (TIB) has rejected the social media regulation bill submitted to the National Assembly by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and vowed to join the Nigerian masses to reject any form of dictatorship.
NBC had announced the submission of a bill seeking to regulate social media to the National Assembly. The bill seeks to repeal and reenact the NBC Act, CAP L11 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The NBC Director-General, Balarabe Ilelah, while speaking on Tuesday when he hosted the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, at the commission’s headquarters, described the ills of social media as a “monster”.
Ilelah said the current law does not give NBC the right to regulate social media.
But reacting to the bill, TIB rejected the bill saying that President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government is repeating the "obsession" of stifling free speech and freedom of expression like former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Like the previous administration, the government of Mr. Bola Tinubu is also obsessed with stifling free speech, and regulating freedom of expression. We reject this bill in its entirety, and we will join the mass of our people to resist this unconscionable trend of dictatorship.… pic.twitter.com/zQBBHak0sw
— Take it back Movement (@TIBmovement) October 12, 2023
"Like the previous administration, the government of Mr. Bola Tinubu is also obsessed with stifling free speech and regulating freedom of expression.
"We reject this bill in its entirety, and we will join the mass of our people to resist this unconscionable trend of dictatorship," the Movement said.