The Federal Government on Monday criticised the Nigeria Union of Journalists for rejecting the planned regulation of the use of social media.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said during a courtesy call on him by the national leadership of the NUJ led by Chris Isiguzo genuine journalists had nothing to worry about the move.
Mohammed said, “The NUJ put the cart before the horse by publicly rejecting the planned social media regulation without even trying to understand what it entails.
“To the best of my knowledge, the trained, professional journalists cannot afford
to engage in fake news, because this will kill public trust in the media.
“They also cannot afford to engage in hate speech, because of its implication for national peace and unity. After all, there has to be a country before you can even practise your profession. It is therefore imperative for the NUJ and other professional bodies to guard their turf very jealously and ward off charlatans and fakes.”
He said the plan to inject sanity into the social media space had nothing to do with “gagging journalists or stifling free speech” .
The minister added, “Only the purveyors of fake news and hate speech need to be worried.”
