Kukah cautions FG over plans to regulate social media

THE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has urged the Federal Government to tread softly over the move to regulate the use of social media in the country.

Bishop Kukah, who stated this on Friday, while delivering the 8th & 9th convocation lecture of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo state, said the plan if not responsibly done will be resisted by Nigerians, saying this might infringe the right to freedom of expression.

Recently, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed, had made known the Federal Government’s intention to regulate the use of social media by Nigerians due to what he described as its abuse.

Bishop Kukah noted that: “The Federal Government must be careful with the plan to regulate the social media space.

“The freedom we have fought for, we will defend it with the last drop of our blood.” He said.

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Meanwhile, Kukah has attributed the myriad of challenges confronting Nigeria as a lack of preparedness by those that have been piloting her affairs.

He stated that most Nigerian leaders got to power by accident which he said has contributed to the woes plaguing the country due to what he described as lack of political culture, vision and goal.

While calling for the need for the country to attain the desired greatness, Bishop Kukah, stressed that efforts must be geared towards ensuring that teaching of history across academic institutions should be given utmost priority, adding that with such most Nigerians will be equipped with the basic knowledge of the country.

“Most Nigeria leaders got into power by accident while in other parts of the world a successor is already being groomed.

“There is no succession plan which has continued to be the bane of Nigeria’s problem.

“Without History, a nation navigates without a compass and memory becomes subjective. Today, Nigeria youth are total strangers to their own local, cultural or national history.

“Ask a young person where they come from and they say, Daddy said we are from Owo. Too many of our youths have no sense of their narratives,” he said.