The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede has called for “ruthless’ ‘ sanctions against social media abusers to serve as a deterrent.
Oloyede said this exactly three weeks after President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, called for the regulation of social media, insisting that it may turn into a societal menace if not nipped in the bud.
Gbajabiamila’s call had caused outrage among Nigerians who claimed that the powerful were only trying to kill the only source of criticism against them.
Oloyede, who was Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, stressed the need for the security agencies to implement those laws by dealing ruthlessly with abusers of the platforms to serve as a deterrent.
Oloyede also noted that punishment meant for social media abusers should be meted out on anyone caught in such an act regardless of their position.
He added that “I do not think we need any new laws because we have sufficient laws to deal with those people who abuse social media. The laws are there and I believe it’s lack of implementation that is the problem.
“We should deal ruthlessly with those who use social media to defame institutions and individuals.”
The state’s Deputy Governor, Engr Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said “Social media is about you saying what people want to hear.”
She encouraged everyone, regardless of age, to have easy access to social media and cautioned against relying solely on information obtained from the platform.
The Chairman of the occasion, Sarafa Tunji Ishola, commended the initiative, advising Nigerians to make better use of social media and tap into its opportunities.
