Nigeria’s Minister of Communication and Culture, Lai Mohammed has approached Lawmakers to enact laws that would regulate social and online media in the country.
He made his request while seeking a bill to amend the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) at a pubic hearing organised by he House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and values.
Lai Mohammed requested the lawmakers to amend the NBC act to enable it regulate social and online media.
He cited Section 2 (b) of the NBC act, which states that “(1) The Commission shall have (the) responsibility of receiving, processing and considering applications for the establishment, ownership or operation of radio and television stations including (i) cable television services, direct satellite broadcast and any other medium of broadcasting.“
The minister, in requesting the lawmakers to enact a law that would enable the commission regulate online media alongside mainstream channels of broadcasting, said that, “I want to add here specifically that internet broadcasting and all online media should be included in this because we have a responsibility to monitor contents, including Twitter.”
Unfortunately for the Minister of Information and Culture, media stakeholders kicked against his request and asked the house to make NBC independent of the Ministry.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Media and Society, Akin Akingbulu said that the commission should not receive directives from the minister.
In his words, “The power to give directives to the commission, vested in the Minister of Information in section 6 should be removed and replaced with powers which include police formulation for the broadcasting sector,” he said
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