Metro Social Media Abusers Must Go To Jail - Saraki insists

[ProfRem]

As criticisms continue to trail the ongoing bill by the Senate to censor social media in the country, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said no amount of attacks arising from it would make the Red Chamber abandon the proposed law.



Saraki, who acknowledged the roles of the social media in the development of the country’s growing democracy, however, said the Senate would not fold its hand to allowed it abused by some elements.

Speaking Thursday, when Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West, raised the issue under matters of urgent importance, during the day’s plenary, the Senate President berated activities of some social media platforms, which he said, had published numerous materials to undermine the integrity of the Red Chamber.

While flaying the criticisms that have greeted the proposed social media censorship bill, Saraki insisted that senators cannot be blackmailed to drop the bill.



- Vanguard

 

[ismail ibrahim]

Not that I support this bill, but the words freedom of speech is sometimes grossly misinterpreted. Some people actually think it's okay to write rubbish. #JustSaying

 

[curator]

Many years ago it use to be said that today's newspaper is tomorrow's waste. There are many issues in the country and this is not one of them. Sixty percent of the country a illiterate and most people in Nigeria are still not online (forget the dubious states your read). Our lawmakers should think beyond their silly pride and understand that these laws will be used by many those that will come after them and we never know who that would be (this is Africa).

Nigeria has existing laws for libel etc. Several bloggers have been locked up by Governors, but no conviction. We live in a country where the powers that be can lock you up without bringing a case against you.. this is not about a few people writing rubbish on social media, it is about taking the power away from those that have an opinion. People are sitting comfortably in their conservative chairs and saying social media and the internet is full of rubbish but when they come for you for speaking at a conference or in a bar or at University, there will be no one there.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

[USERGROUP=15]@News Hub Team[/USERGROUP]

 

[Temitope]

God bless GEJ. He's the only leader that can take social media insults without sending anyone to jail.

These Senators benefited from the same social media during their elections, now they are working against.

 

[Lawrence Odoli]

Saraki, let me tell you that when you were arrested it was through the social media that many people used to send a message to the government and wrote against your arrest in your support. This is the only platform that the ordinary citizen has, it is the only eye through which we see the world. Any way your regulations will amount to a waste of time because you can not regulate the world. Nobody or government can unilaterally do that because the Internet is the world.