FG Begins Processes For Social Media Sanitisation — Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government says it has commenced the process of
injecting sanity into the Social Media space to prevent it from
setting the nation on fire.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

“As a matter of fact, we have already put in motion the
machinery for this.

“We have written letters to the major stakeholders who would
nominate representatives and we are going to sit down together to
decide on how best to confront this menace,’’ he said.

The minister noted that the government had the responsibility to
keep the country together, therefore, social media would not be
left alone to destabilise the nation.

He said the government welcomed the debate that had followed the
decision and announcement to sanitise the social media space and
the airwaves.

“We are glad about the criticism because what we set out to
achieve is to bring the matter to the front burner of
discourse.

“We are not under any illusion that the people will take this
hook line and sinker.

“We are, however, glad that there are more people who believed
that the social media poses imminent danger to the unity of
Nigeria, especially as they have become merchants of fake news and
hate speech,” he said.

The minister noted that those who had opposed the regulation of
the social media had not denied the fact that the platform was
being used by purveyors of fake news and hate speech with grave
consequences.

“Their concern largely, which is unfounded is that it might lead
to the stifling of the freedom of press or gaggling the media.

“However, we want to make it clear that it is not our intention
to do this.

“The only people who are afraid of the decision to sanitise the
social media and the airwaves are the purveyors of hate speech and
fake news.

“It must be put on record that Nigeria is not the only country
that is doing something about this, Germany, Egypt, Russia, India
and the UK are all doing something about regulating the social
media platform,’’ he said.

Mohammed expressed concern that the Nigeria Union of Journalists
(NUJ) and other media professional bodies that were supposed to
support the regulation were kicking against it.

“This is amusing, because they should be glad as they are the
one we are protecting.

“The honest truth is that the established, well trained
professional journalists do not indulge in fake news and hate
speech because they have regulatory bodies already.

“The NUJ has regulatory body and Code of Conduct and they are
largely not the one responsible for the dissemination of fake news
and hate speech.

“I am therefore, really surprised that such criticism is coming
from them because they are the people we are protecting and they
are the ones that will benefit the more from the government
action,’’ he said.

The minister reiterated that no amount of criticism and
opposition would stop regulation of the social media and the air
waves.

“We heard all kinds of threats, some even went as far as calling
for the removal of the minister.

“Let me assure them that the minister is not perturbed by this
and we are focused.

“No amount of intimidation, sponsored articles in any form is
going to stop us from regulating the social media.

“This is not just a menace to the government, many people have
committed suicide because their reputations have been destroyed by
the social media,’’ he said.

The minster reiterated that the government would neither gag the
media nor stifle the freedom of speech in regulating the media
platforms.

On the regulation of the media waves, Mohammed said he would
receive recommendations on the implementation process in few days
from the committee he recently inaugurated.

He said they had also received a lot of attacks from some
critics that the intention was nothing but an attempt to gag the
media and stifle free speech.

“Again, our answer to this is simple. Under our watch, hate
speech will not become free speech.

“Let me say once again that only those who are purveyors of fake
news and hate speech have things to fear from these
recommendations,’’ he said.

According to the minister, the regulation of both the social
media and the airwaves is in the national interest.

Maina’s ill-health stalls trial in N2B Fraud. ..court
orders full medical examination

The trial of the chairman of the defunct Pension Reforms Task
Force PRTF Abdulrasheed Maina in an alleged N2b fraud was yesterday
stalled at the federal high court in Abuja ollowing his sudden
ill-health and confinement to bed rest by medical expert.

Maina is being prosecuted by the federal government on a12-count
charge bothering on alleged N2B pension fund fraud, money
laundering, operating fictitious bank accounts and other fraudulent
activities.

At the resumed trial, an officer of the Nigeria Prison Service
stormed the court and sought audience with the court with a letter
of medical report issued by a doctor with the prison Mr Idowu
Ajayi.

The letter however sparked off long controversies when Justice
Okon Abang upon acknowledging it read it and faulted it’s mode.

Abang agreed that human being can fall sick but got angry that
the medical doctor who authored ithe letter failed to give specific
period the accused person will be confined to bed rest.

Apparently furious, the Judge wondered why a medical expert will
write such a letter without indicating the specific time Maina will
be on bed rest adding that the action of the doctor is a ploy to
stop the court from the trial of the accused person.

He accused the doctor of not helping the court in the shoddy
manner the letter was written and its tone that suggested that
Maina will not be able to stand trial for undidclosed period.

In a reaction, counsel to the Economic and Financial Cries
Commission EFCC Mohammed Abubakar prayed for an order of court
compelling the Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigeria Prison
Service, being a medical doctor, to carry out comprehensive
examination on the health status of Maina.

The counsel also prayed the court for an order that the prison
chief must make his report available to the court on the adjourned
date to actually ascertain the health issues.

Maina’s counsel Francis Oronsaye however pleaded with the court
to adjourn the trial for one week to enable his client recover
fully

In his ruling, Abang said that the request for one week
adjournment did not go down well with the court and held that a
medical report cannot act as an order to stay trial in a criminal
matter.

He noted that the doctor who claimed to have examined the
defendant did not include a time the defendant was supposed to have
recovered.

Justice Abang consequently ordered the Deputy Comptroller of the
Nigeria Prison in charge of medicals and welfare to examine tMaina
and report back to the court on November 7, slated for continuation
of trial.

By PRNigeria^[1]