Government Will Regulate Social Media If I Become Minister Of Information – Dele Alake

Dele Alake, one of President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, has said that if he is made the Minister of Information and Culture, he will support the strengthening of social media regulations in Nigeria.

Alake, who hails from Ekiti State in the South West region and served as the Commissioner of Information and Strategy in Lagos State when Tinubu was governor of the state from May 1999 to May 2007, said this on Wednesday when he appeared before the Senate for screening.

Responding to questions from the lawmakers, Channels TV reports that Alake who Tinubu had already appointed as his spokesman and later nominated for a ministerial position, during the screening advocated value reorientation from the family level to the national level.

He said, “I will support serious attitudinal change if I find myself in the office responsible for attitudinal change.

“On social media regulation, there is some concern, not just here but all over the world but particularly in our environment about the pernicious nature of the social media or the effect.”

According to him, there are positive and negative sides to social media, however, “the downside of social media is that it is detrimental to a good and decent society”.

“What I would support is the strengthening of regulations,” the nominee from Ekiti State noted.

“There are laws that guide our conduct in every area of human endeavour but the application of these laws have been shut. Even victims of libel, aspersions, defamation and all kinds of negative things in the media, hesitate to also apply the law against the culprits.

“I will recommend the strengthening of our regulations and the applications of those laws. The laws must be tested so we can know the proficiency of those regulations.

“I will support anything that comes from this hallowed chamber that promotes that course of action.

“If there are laws, bills and motions in line with this, please be sure of our full cooperation.”