The Minister, who was represented by Memunat Idu-Lah during
a roundtable discussion on culture in Imo State on Thursday, December 19th said
the regulation had become necessary to curb abuses and negative effects.
He said “The resolve of the government to regulate the
platform is not designed to hamper freedom of expression or gag public
discourse as being alleged; rather, it is to prevent its abuse and the negative
consequences.
“The phenomenon of hate speech, fake news and other forms of
criminality which features regularly on the social media have the potential to
harm the nation’s security, national unity and our overall national interest.”
He said that the FG was committed to promoting national unity
through culture.
“The importance of culture as the bedrock of development;
the role of the Nigerian youth as key drivers of development and cultural
ambassadors as well as the value of the social media in contemporary times have
continued to attract the attention of government and development experts.
“It is gratifying to state that the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledges the importance of culture as one of the
pillars of sustainable development and has identified culture as one of the key
sectors for government’s economic diversification agenda.
“In the same vein, the present administration appreciates
the place of youths in economic development and as future leaders and has put
concrete policies in place for their training and empowerment to fight and
reduce unemployment and enhance their relevance in the nation’s economic
agenda.”
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