The social media bill

By Joseph Edgar . . .
This is why it is not good to procrastinate. I had wanted to weigh in heavily on this matter but the Federal Government dissociated itself from it and the civil society groups have taken up arms and I see that the establishment is backing out leaving the cowardly proponents of the Bill standing naked with hands covering their privates in shame.

But let me state this very clearly, that this is the most dangerous thing anybody could even try to do. How can you plan to muscle air. Can you detain air, can you restrict the air from flowing, this is the darkest and most stupid thing anybody can even think of. Is this a North Korea where life there is robotic and dour?

Countries like Tunisia and Algeria tried it and see where it left them. The social media is a very powerful tool for social mobilization and it is open for use by all sides. Even the government can use it effectively to sell its agenda, counter attacks and generally build a strong image for itself. It’s noteworthy to state at this juncture that this present government used it effectively to win this election. The war for this election was fought and won within the precinct of the social media.

So to those who have tried to muscle it remain confused in their attempt to wrestle the air. You cannot even touch it, so how can you fight it. I really am happy that the Federal a Government has dissociated itself from this archaic move, it would have been a fatal shot in the leg and those misguided Senators who are pushing it remain like little kids stoking fire that will first consume them before taking down the whole house.

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Already information leaked by some social media platforms have started to show the narrow mindedness of some of these shallow Senators. Information that cannot be contained or stopped have been leaked about their activities as they contravene the laws of the Land. This is just a tip of the iceberg if tise fight is left to continue unabated.

How many people are you going to arrest and convict. There are 97 million on the net doing all sorts of things. There are laws already guarding the use of the Internet especially as it concerns the crime of libel and defamation. Recently, some banks have used them effectively to tackle some miscreants, so I fail to see the need to criminalize the offense or the need to set different laws when there is no need.

My plain advise is to leave the Internet alone. Instead build your own team of social media soldiers who will fight and defend your integrity on the various platforms. Just as you have media aides, start creating social media aides who will surge the Internet and block or counter any such misguided commentary.

Finally, I think we have enough problems that the National Assembly have not begun to attend to hence the comical nature of this move. Please let’s face the true and urgent issues of the lowering standard of living of Nigerians and leave Social Media alone.

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