Freedom of Expression and Information Amidst Strict Social Media Regulation in Nigeria: An Appraisal of the Twitter Ban

Abstract

There have been constant efforts by the successive government in Nigerian to regulate and control the social media. More worries have been voiced about how social media harbours misinformation, cyberbullying and fake news which are largely believed by credulous members of the public. As a result, there have been a lot of contentions surrounding attempts to stifle or enact policies to control social media. The focus of this study, however, is to examine how social media regulations reflect on freedom of expression and information in Nigeria, using the experience of Twitter (now X) ban as a practical lesson to draw from. Some of the research objectives were developed to establish how the twitter ban relates to freedom of expression and information; to determine the various impact of the Twitter ban on freedom of expression and information; to evaluate the public perception of Twitter ban on the freedom of expression and information. A sample size of 385 was drawn with the use of survey design using online google form to gather responses from knowledgeable practitioners who were purposively selected from various media organizations in Nigeria. The findings revealed that 100% Twitter is as a platform for freedom of expression and information and the ban was a direct threat to freedom of information. It was agreed that stiff regulation on any social media platform, constitute a direct restraint to fundamental rights of expression and information. The respondents also indicated that the ban was a systemic infringement on human right. The study recommend that Nigeria should serve as a role model for liberal democracy and the rule of law that protects human right.

Keywords:Media Twitter, Twitter Ban, Freedom of Information, Freedom of Expression

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/14-2-04

Publication date:March 31^st 2024