“Deliberately Posting False Stories Is Unacceptable” – Keyamo Supports Social Media Bill

The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Mr Festus Keyamo has declared support for the controversial social media bills, saying no one should be allowed to post false information online in the name of free speech.

Keyamo stated this in a series of tweets on Monday, December 2, 2019, while reacting to the outcry of Nigerians over the controversy surrounding hate speech and social media bills in Nigeria.

The minister took a swipe at those condemning the bill and asked them to unblock and apologise to those who irritated them with insults.

Although the minister did not support the death penalty for hate speech, he insisted that posting false information on social media was dangerous for the nation.

Keyamo noted that the real agitation should be for parliament, in line with S.36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, to clearly define the types of false and insensitive posts that would attract penal consequences, so that government does not abuse it.

He stressed that there should be some penal consequences for those who deliberately go online to post false stories under the umbrella of freedom of speech.

Bills seeking to regulate social media and prescribe capital punishment for hate speech, recently introduced in the senate have caused debate among Nigerians.

Many say it is an attempt to silence the media and suppress freedom of speech.