A member of the Osun State House of Assembly
representing Obokun state constituency, Honourable
Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has said any exertion by the
Nigerian Senate to constrain the civil liberties of its
citizenry in expressing themselves on social media
platforms would amount to repression and a repeat of the
impunity that pervaded governance in the inglorious days of
the military era.
Oyintiloye, who is the Chairman, Assembly Committee on
Information and Strategy in the state assembly spoke at an
interactive session with a group of bloggers and social
media enthusiasts in Osogbo, the state capital.
He spoke on the backdrop of the proposed bill, titled: ‘Bill
for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters
Connected Therewith (SB.143)’, sponsored by the Senate
Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah.
The bill stipulates two-year jail term and option of N2
million upon conviction for anyone who posts abusive
statements on the social media, while it would become
unlawful for anyone to submit any petition and statement
intended to report the conduct of any person for the
purpose of an investigation, inquiry without a duly sworn
affidavit.
The bill equally stipulates that any petition or complaints
not accompanied by a sworn affidavit would be considered
incompetent and cannot be used by any government
institution, agency or bodies established by any law for the
time being enforced in Nigeria.
Oyintiloye expressed confidence in the assurances given by
the Senate President Bukola Saraki that any objectionable
area of the bill would be expunged.
He said the media landscape globally had metamorphosed
and its art and discipline had evolved to absorb the new
media otherwise known as the social media, explaining that
the passage of any bill that could gag the people’s freedom
of expression would not only make a parody of democracy
in Nigeria, but also engender apathy among the nation’s
allies and the international community.
The lawmaker further averred that the social media
provided enormous channels for unfettered expression and
the enrichment of freedom of speech, which, he asserted, is
an indispensable hallmark of democracy and an open
society.
He, however, expressed dissatisfaction at members of the
online community preoccupied with the smearing the
reputation of notable individuals, corporate and public
figures, describing these persons as grossly insensitive.
Oyitiloye noted that the supposed problems associated with
social media are inherent in the personalities involved and
their contentment with churning out malicious information
without apology, rather than the vehicle through which they
find the expression.
“The new media came with the dynamics of breaking news
efficiently through space and time with little or no money
and to a large extent gave utterance as well as puissance to
the common man. It is however regrettable that many
players and stakeholders in the craft lack an understanding
of the actual workings of journalism.
“It is also disheartening that amidst the very few with this
knowledge, some have deliberately thrown the ethos of
journalism into the garbage, hence leaving no room for
objectivity, truthfulness and balance.
“As such, sentiments, desperation and fallacies are brought
into social media posts with the end product being a body
of lies, distorted facts, and half truths,” he stressed.
The lawmaker however urged media professionals to take
advantage of the gamut of social media tools and ensure
that the voice of truth is made louder than the echo of lies.
Oyintiloye urged the chairman of the National Assembly to
invite major stakeholders in the social media platform to
discuss the proposed bill with a view to enlisting lucidity of
its contents and douse the tension being generated. from the concept anti-social media bill its a contradiction in itself shikenan
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