Lai Mohammed, former minister of information and culture,
says social media platforms should be regulated to prevent harm to individuals
and society.
Mohammed spoke on Thursday at Roving Heights in Abuja,
during a reading of his new book titled ‘Media Moments That Define An
Administration’.
Responding to questions from journalists on his consistent
position on regulating social media, Mohammed likened the need for regulation
to safety mechanisms in automobiles.
“When cars were made, they had speed gears, but they also
had brakes,” he said.
“For the same reason that an unregulated social media can do
more harm than good, not for the government.”
He said calls for regulation are not aimed at censorship but
at protecting public well-being.
“And you can see how slowly, even the western world, they
are coming back to regulate social media,” he said.
“See what happened in Australia today, where, if you are
below a certain age, you don’t have access to it.
“It is for the well-being and wholeness of the country, not
just for the government.”
Mohammed cited cyberbullying and misinformation as examples
of the dangers of unregulated platforms.
“Many young people have been bullied on social media; some
of them have committed suicide,” he said.
“So it’s important. We are not saying you ban it. No,
regulate it. Register with the government, and let there be a code of conduct.
And today, with the AI regime, we haven’t seen anything yet.
“Many homes have been broken as a result of fake news. So,
we need some form of regulation.”
Explaining why he wrote the book, Mohammed said public
officials owe citizens a duty to document their experiences.
“I believe that it is important for everybody who has served
at that level,” he said.
On the key message of the book, the ex-minister said it
seeks to provide context behind media narratives during his time in office.
“For me, the major one is that the whole idea is to decode
governance and those headlines, those soundbites, somethings went behind
there,” he said.
“And sometimes those headlines and soundbites don’t
represent the whole story.”
Earlier during the book reading, Mohammed warned about what
he described as the growing power of headlines in shaping public opinion.
“The powers of headlines are so enormous,” he said.
“Unfortunately, these days, with the new technology and new
media, the attention span of the average citizen has shrunk. People no longer
have time to read articles or read thesis.
“The average Nigerian today doesn’t want to read any
document. He runs away with the headlines, but the headlines don’t always tell
the story.”
He said some broadcast programmes now focus solely on
headline reviews without interrogating the substance of reports.
“So, most people run away with the headline without even
getting to the story itself,” he said.
“And of course, the editors too want catchy headlines to
sell their papers.
“Now, today, when I go on the social media, and I see
breaking news, I know it is not breaking news at all.”
Mohammed also referenced media coverage during the #EndSARS
protest, saying headlines at the time amplified controversy.
“It was these same headlines that made the #EndSARS protest
so controversial,” he said.
“Because the day after the protest was dispersed by the
soldiers, the headlines were ‘massacre at the toll gate’.
“They were giving various numbers, some said 100, some said
60, some said 40.
“Unfortunately, in Nigeria today, you send a story, nobody
bothers to verify, they share.”
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