Posted by The governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, has urged the federal government to filter social media in Nigeria due to the prevalence of misinformation and abuse on these platforms.
Bago spoke these words when receiving the Niger State Council’s Grand Patron award from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Censorship, according to the governor, is necessary to halt the spread of disinformation and encourage traditional journalists to report the news objectively.
His proposal for social media regulation is in line with those of other politicians, such as Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Journalists, as members of the “fourth estate” of the British government, have a responsibility to serve as observers of public policy and to report the news in an unbiased manner.
“To stop the spread of hate speech and fake news, I demand that social media contents be censored,” he declared.
Bago lauded journalists for their contributions to Nigerian democracy and the role they play in the country’s development.
Governor Bago was honored with a certificate by NUJ National President Chris Isiguzo for his outstanding leadership.
According to Isiguzo, the governor received the honor because of the revolutionary changes he has brought about in several sectors, including healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, and good administration.