*Urges CoS to be champion of free speech
Human Rights activist and convener of Concerned Nigerians, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, has cautioned the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, over his call for the regulation of social media.
In a statement on Monday, Adeyanju urged Gbajabiamila to be a champion of free speech upon which Nigeria’s democracy was built.
The activist said even though Gbajabiamila had been at the receiving end of fake news, targeted harassment and baseless corruption allegations, his call for the regulation of social media negates the principles of freedom of speech, a right guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution.
The statement read: “On the 8th day of February, 2024, the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, while representing President Bola Tinubu at the launch of a book written by Babatunde Fashola, former Minister for works, called for the regulation of social media because it has become a societal menace.
“While I recognize the fact that Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila has, in recent times, been at the receiving end of fake news, targeted harassment and baseless corruption allegations, it must, however, be noted that the call for the regulation of social media negates the principles of freedom of speech upon which our democratic nation is built. Needless to state that freedom of speech is a constitutionally guaranteed rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and this right ought to be protected because it permits of divergent opinions and criticisms on critical national issues.”
He said even more ironic was the fact that the APC government where Femi Gbajabiamila presently holds a key position, rode to power on the back of social media.
“It is therefore, disheartening that Femi Gbajabiamila is now seeking to regulate social media, in order to protect himself from criticisms! I recall Femi Gbajabiamila’s persistent criticisms of the government of the day in 2014, where he amongst others, he described the government as ‘vagabonds in power and barbarians at the gate’,” Adeyanju said.
The activist insisted that despite some of the ills that may be associated with social media, the platform had served as a tool for citizens to easily reach government officials who were hitherto unreachable, and hold them accountable.
“It is this access that Femi Gbajabiamila seeks to shut down. I, therefore, call on the President’s chief of staff to banish any thought of regulating social media or infringing on the citizens’ right to freedom of expression but commit to protecting the civic space and freedom of speech as he holds a vital position to do so.
“It is important to emphasis here that there are existing remedies available to anyone who has been subjected to social media harassment or defamation. If Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila feels aggrieved, he should invoke the available legal remedies, rather than seeking to create a nebulous regulation of social media,” Adeyanju said.
