Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff of President Bola Tinubu, has said that social media must be regulated to curtail excesses.
Representing Tinubu at a public presentation of a book on Thursday in Lagos, Gbajabiamila said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that citizens engage with what is true and verifiable on social media.
The book Nigerian Public Discourse: The Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole was written by former minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola.
A statement by Tunde Alao, senior special assistant on media to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, quoted Gbajabimila as saying: “The social media has become a societal menace and must be regulated. As many people do not understand that once the send button is hit, there is a potential to reach millions of people around the world which is capable of causing a great danger not just in the society but even unintended consequences to the individuals that are receiving information which may include security of life.”
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Mr Sanwo-Olu was also represented at the event by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.
The statement noted that Tinubu maintained that his administration had an obligation to engage in evidence-based discussion and data-reliant decision-making, hence, the need for accurate data that would be used for better policy formulation and execution.
“As citizens become more interested in governance, it is the government’s obligation to ensure that engagement with citizens springs with shared agreement on what the truth is, what is real and what is not,” Gbajabiamila said.
In his remarks, Fashola disclosed that the book was written based on his 21 years of experience as a public office holder, highlighting different public issues.
