Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has cautioned political leaders against blaming social media for Nigeria’s peace and security challenges, urging them instead to address the root causes of insecurity and social unrest in the country.

The call follows a recent statement by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who, while speaking at an event in Ekiti State last Thursday, described social media as a growing threat to Nigeria’s peace and called for its regulation.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Y. Z. Ya’u, CITAD said such remarks reflect a growing trend within government circles to push for restrictions on freedom of expression online, despite evidence that social media has been a vital platform for grievance expression and democratic engagement globally.

Ya’u noted that insecurity in Nigeria is driven by deep-rooted issues such as poverty, unemployment, injustice, and unresolved communal conflicts rather than the activities of social media users. He stressed that “nowhere in the world has reality shown that social media is responsible for the lack of peace,” adding that in many countries, digital platforms have been used as tools for restoring peace.

The group argued that continued calls for social media regulation amount to an attempt to curtail citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information, which are essential for democracy.

“Rather than scapegoating social media for the government’s failure to address insecurity, unemployment and social injustice, the authorities should focus on solving these existential problems that fuel restiveness and violence,” the statement read.

CITAD also referenced a recent report by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which documented more than 141 incidents of attacks on journalists under the current administration, warning that attempts to restrict digital spaces would further erode press freedom and democratic values.

The organisation called on Senator Bamidele, a former activist for social justice, to add his voice to efforts demanding urgent government action to tackle hunger, joblessness, insecurity and social inequality in the country.

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TECH DIGEST – The ECOWAS Court of Justice has fixed Friday, July 9, for the hearing of Nigerian government’s application for the consolidation of the four suits relating to the ban on Twitter in the country.

Nigerian government’s lawyer, Abdullahi Abubakar, had filed the application on July 5, a statement by the court’s press unit said on Wednesday.

The statement said the court had to adjourn the hearing of the application because two out of the four parties suing the federal government over the Twitter ban were not represented in court at Wednesday’s proceedings.

Only the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), on one hand, and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and eight others, on the other hand, were represented by their lawyers.

The lawyers did not object to the respondent’s request for consolidation of the four pending suits.

“However the court observed that only two of the parties were represented in court and adjourned the matter to July 9, 2021, for all parties including the representatives of the parties absent at the proceeding to make their submissions on the application for consolidation,” the statement added.

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