Senator Ned Nwoko has publicly reacted after a man, who had previously accused him of offering N5 million to have actress Regina Daniels killed, issued a public apology.
The senator took this opportunity to highlight the risks associated with Nigeria’s largely unregulated social media environment.
On X, Sen. Nwoko stated that the viral video and the baseless accusation serve as evidence that Nigeria’s social media landscape is among the most unregulated globally.
He noted that making serious, and unfounded allegations for the sake of gaining clicks and views has become a prevalent trend that exploits public sentiment and inflicts real harm.
“Making serious allegations has become a common tactic to attract millions of views, disregarding the damaging impact on those involved,” Sen. Nwoko wrote.
He emphasized that the likelihood of escaping repercussions, especially since many of these accusations target influential individuals who may find it difficult to clear their names, further promotes this “deviant behavior.”
The senator contended that this incident, along with many others, underscores the urgent need for a social media bill in the National Assembly.
He believes that social media companies should be mandated to register in Nigeria, establish local offices, and take accountability for defamatory content shared on their platforms.
“You can’t fabricate lies for profit and then apologize after criminally defaming and harming individuals,” Sen. Nwoko stated.
Read also:
- NRC, South-West commission move to reopen abandoned rail routes
- Firstpower announces planned power outage in parts of Anambra
- ₦5.5bn defamation suit against SERAP adjourned to November 12
He highlighted that while local media organizations adhere to defamation and libel laws, foreign social media platforms operate with little accountability in Nigeria.
He questioned why these companies should be exempt from regulation, particularly since they evade taxes and are not easily held legally responsible for the spread of defamatory content.
Using a metaphor common in housing law, Sen..Nwoko remarked: “If landlords face penalties for the actions of their tenants who are fraudsters, what prevents social media companies from being held accountable for allowing defamatory content on their platforms?”
Sen. Nwoko made a direct appeal to Nigerians to support his proposed bill, emphasizing that what happened to him today could happen to anyone tomorrow:
“It’s Senator Ned today; who knows who will be next?”
