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The political and personal lives of the candidates over seven decades.

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Families in South Korea are reeling after the deaths of 14 delivery workers this year from what they call overwork.

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Nigerians pay tribute to #EndSars protester Anthony Unuode after he was killed in the capital.

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At least one person has been killed and several wounded after several shootings in the Austrian capital.

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Meet the scientists who use social media to show people what they do to develop a coronavirus vaccine in the lab.

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From deep in the Maasai lands of Kenya to high in the mountains of Tibet, we found this advice for Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

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Find out how to stay in touch with live election results on TV, radio, online, and on social media.

Governors of Northern states have asked the Nigerian Government to regulate social media to curb the spread of ‘fake news’.

At a meeting in Kaduna on Monday, the governors said the effect of uncontrolled social media was devastating.

They also condemned recent attacks on persons and properties by thugs.

“The superlative agitations and other change regime actions outside the ballot box soon take advantage of the peaceful protests to push for their separative agenda. The meeting endorses the indivisibility, indissolubility, and oneness of the nation.

“The meeting took note of the devastating effect of the uncontrolled social media in spreading fake news. Therefore, calls for major control mechanism and censorship of the social media practice in Nigeria

“Meeting raises attention on the need to keep a strict watch on the Federal Capital Territory to guide against unwarranted and destructive protests to safeguard critical assets of the nation,” part of a communique signed by Simon Lalong, Chairman, Northern States Governors' Forum, read.

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The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 And Beyond, a coalition of over 80 civil society organisations and organised labour led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, has set up a seven-man independent panel of inquiry to probe the killings of Nigerians including security operatives and the destruction of properties following the deployment of security operatives in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.

Many Nigerians consider the outcry, which snowballed into looting and arson as symptomatic of the country’s gradual collapse of governance, large scale corruption and the lack of provision of the essentials of life for millions of long-suffering Nigerians, who are stifled under a corrupt and inept leadership.

Femi Falana, SAN.

The panel led by Chino Obiagwu (SAN), according to the coalition, is not to counter the panels set up by the tiers of government but to complement and enrich the democratic space.

ASCAB disclosed this on Monday in a statement jointly signed by its General and Publicity secretaries, Ade Atambi and Adewale Adeoye respectively.

The coalition said the panel, which has one month to complete its assignment, will be open to all Nigerians without restrictions, adding that the Nigerian people will own the process and the outcome of all findings will be made available to all stakeholders including the federal and state authorities.

Other members of the panel are Affiong Affiong (Secretary), Prof Adenike Ogushe and Mr Y.Z Yau, former President, Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Mr Malachy Ugwumadu and two representatives of the youth, Miss Fatima Umar and Mr Olumide Ogele. 

The statement reads, “The independent inquiry is not to counter the panels set up by the tiers of government but to complement and enrich the democratic space. It is a challenge to those already set up by the government to ensure a transparent approach to all enquiries and to put first the public interests.

“Since Section 24 (e) of the constitution has imposed a duty on every citizen to ‘render assistance to appropriate and lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order,’ the report of our investigation will be made available to the relevant law enforcement authorities with a view to prosecuting indicted suspects in the appropriate courts.”

It noted that if any of the Attorneys-General does not accede to ASCAB requests to prosecute indicted suspects, the report of the investigation would form the basis of the application for the right of private prosecution under the applicable Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

“Without prejudice to the prosecution of indicted suspects, we shall approach the high court in each state where citizens were killed with a view to securing the enforcement of the fundamental right of the deceased to life in accordance with Paragraph (e) of the Preamble to the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 which states that ‘human rights activists, advocates, or groups as well as any non-governmental organisations, may institute human rights application on behalf of any potential applicant,'” ASCAB added.

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Prisoners at the Okere Correctional Centre, Warri, Delta State, are currently protesting the starvation and lack of food they are made to go through by the state government, SaharaReporters can exclusively report.

The punishment was put in place by the management of the correctional centre after a jailbreak on October 22, 2020.

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See Also Exclusive EXCLUSIVE: Security Operatives Kill 18 Inmates In Warri Prison After Jailbreak 0 Comments 5 Days Ago

The jailbreak led to the killing of about 18 persons by security operatives guarding the prison.

Some inmates also escaped from the facility.

SaharaReporters gathered that to punish the inmates for attempting to escape, they were denied food except dry garri (cassava flake).

A source in the prison, who confirmed the situation to SaharaReporters, said the inmates are angry, adding that it could lead to another jailbreak if not swiftly addressed by the government.

"The inmates have been under lock and key and they don't get food.

"The authority is not giving them food and their families are not allowed to bring in food for them anymore. 

"Inmates are presently protesting against starvation and what is currently happening might have more effect than the jailbreak that happened.

"There is a protest ongoing now as inmates are shouting for the restoration of their food ration," the source said.

The source explained that inmates are being given dry garri once in three days.

He added that inmates are suspecting embezzlement of funds by the correctional center management.

"The inmates are asking questions and they want to know if the government stopped the feeding of inmates as a result of the jailbreak or staff are embezzling money meant for their feeding," the source added.

See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Tension In Delta State As Thugs Burn Police Station, Invade Warri Prison, Free Inmates 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

It was further gathered that inmates waited till evening before they started the protest.

At the last jailbreak at the facility, some inmates escaped, before security operatives moved in.

Not less than 18 people were killed and 23 sustained bullet injuries.

The prison management hid the killings from the government and public and organised a mass burial for the victims.

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Egypt will deport seven Nigerians, who participated in #EndSARS protest in Cairo on October 18.

The Nigerians were arrested for protesting against bad governance and police brutality and have since been detained.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, made this known in a series of tweets.

She said, “The Egyptian authorities have said that seven out of the eight Nigerians who protested in Egypt on 18 October, will be deported to Nigeria for lack of resident permits/visas.

“The only Nigerian among them who has a residency will get final clearance from the Egyptian Interior Minister, Mahmoud Tawfik, after signing an undertaking not to be involved in unauthorized activities while still in the country.

“Current situation of Nigerians arrested in Egypt for protesting without a permit.

“Everyone has a right to protest, but we appeal to our people abroad to follow the laws of that country as we continue to do all we can to get the Nigerians released.”

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The National Examinations Council has directed the commencement of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination in all states across the country.

The examinations are expected to commence on November 9.

Azeez Sani, NECO Head of Information and Public Relations, in a statement on Monday evening, said, “The National Examinations Council wishes to inform candidates, schools and other stakeholders of the resumption of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination in all states and the FCT from Monday, November 9 2020.

“The council was constrained to postpone the examinations indefinitely on Monday, October 25, 2020, due to security challenges occasioned by the #EndSARS protests, which disrupted the smooth conduct of the examinations in some parts of the country.

“Following the return of normalcy in the states and FCT, the examinations will now continue with a new time-table from Monday, November 9, 2020, to Saturday, November 28 2020.

“This new timetable will be made available to the general public, schools and candidates from Wednesday, November 4 2020. The timetable can also be downloaded from the NECO official website.

“The council thanks the general public and candidates for their patience and understanding during the period the SSCE was suspended.

“NECO assures the general public of quality service in the discharge of her statutory responsibilities at all times.”

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Akpoko Gabriel Ogbadu, candidate of the African Action Congress in this year’s local government election in Benue State, has dragged Erebe Agnes Uleko of Peoples Democratic Party before the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Otukpo over alleged certificate forgery.

In the petition with number EPT/01/2020, Ogbadu and the AAC are asking the tribunal to sack her for lying about her qualifications as well as to nullify the election, which they said did not comply with the provisions of the local government electoral law and guidelines for the exercise issued by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission.

Ogbadu while presenting his case before the Justice Ibrahim Mohammed-led tribunal, called two subpoenaed witnesses to testify in respect of Erebe’s claim that she attended LGEA Primary School, Ito Town from 1970 to 1976 and College of Health Technology Makurdi, the present College of Health Technology Agasha between 1996 and 1997.

The witness from LGEA, Oju Area Office, told the tribunal that the booklet containing the counterfoil of the First School Leaving Certificate of primary education with No. 037839 (Erebe’s certificate) cannot be found neither are the records before 1977 available in the Area Education Office, Oju.

The witness from College of Health Technology, Agasha, where the PDP candidate was said to have attended between 1996 and 1997 was led in evidence by the petitioners’ counsel and tendered the students’ enrolment for the year 1995, contrary to her claim that she was admitted in the college in 1996.

Erebe and the PDP did not call any witness to testify.

Justice Mohammed, after listening to the submissions reserved judgment on a date to be communicated to all parties.

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Akpoko Gabriel Ogbadu, candidate of the African Action Congress in this year’s local government election in Benue State, has dragged Erebe Agnes Uleko of Peoples Democratic Party before the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Otukpo over alleged certificate forgery.

In the petition with number EPT/01/2020, Ogbadu and the AAC are asking the tribunal to sack her for lying about her qualifications as well as to nullify the election, which they said did not comply with the provisions of the local government electoral law and guidelines for the exercise issued by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission.

Ogbadu while presenting his case before the Justice Ibrahim Mohammed-led tribunal, called two subpoenaed witnesses to testify in respect of Erebe’s claim that she attended LGEA Primary School, Ito Town from 1970 to 1976 and College of Health Technology Makurdi, the present College of Health Technology Agasha between 1996 and 1997.

The witness from LGEA, Oju Area Office, told the tribunal that the booklet containing the counterfoil of the First School Leaving Certificate of primary education with No. 037839 (Erebe’s certificate) cannot be found neither are the records before 1977 available in the Area Education Office, Oju.

The witness from College of Health Technology, Agasha, where the PDP candidate was said to have attended between 1996 and 1997 was led in evidence by the petitioners’ counsel and tendered the students’ enrolment for the year 1995, contrary to her claim that she was admitted in the college in 1996.

Erebe and the PDP did not call any witness to testify.

Justice Mohammed, after listening to the submissions reserved judgment on a date to be communicated to all parties.

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The Lagos State Chapter of the African Action Congress has said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state, must be made to answer for crimes against humanity over his role in the killing of peaceful protesters on October 20 at the Lekki Toll Gate.

In a statement by Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, the state Chairman of party, the AAC said Sanwo-Olu misled Nigerians on his role in the killings which extended beyond Lekki before he was fingered by the military for his involvement.

It reads, “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is very involved with the massacre committed through the Lekki shootings and other shootings around Lagos State in Badagry, Mushin, Berger, Ketu, Abule Egba, Ikotun, Igando and several other areas. He is the one that invited the military as well as even SARS (in the case of Lekki and Surulere) and the police. 

“Also, Sanwo-Olu misled the public many times with open lies by first denying the Lekki shootings and then blaming only the army, just as the governor also said no one was killed and later confessed he saw just two bodies in the morgues(whereas, Governor Sanwo-Olu was at the Lekki scene by 3am according to eyewitnesses accompained by the Maroko Police Division DPO.

“These inconsistent and conscious efforts at militarizing against real democratic engagements like protests show that Governor Sanwo-Olu is a despot and he has no place in modern democracy. He should therefore step aside now!

“Revelations have also shown that Governor Sanwo-Olu was in the know of the removal of CCTV cameras as well as the switching off of all the lights. It is therefore clear that this genocide happened same way at most parts of Lagos in quite a premeditated manner. 

“Lagos AAC use this opportunity to also call on all activists and peaceful people of Rivers State to rise and protest against the #Oyigbomassacre still ongoing. The vampires must not be allowed to keep trampling on us with their thirst for "mud and blood". How can Governor Wike and the military claim to be maintaining peace by condoning off a whole society and it's environs and you start maiming, killing, and destroying?!

“Finally, we call on all Lagosians to rise and ask Governor Sanwo-Olu and his cronies to step down. The weight of such massacre that precendented widespread violence and brutal repressions were caused by the state government's premeditated and organized fatal attacks on the #EndSARS movement for peacefully and legitimately ignoring an ill-advised, immoral, and undemocratic curfew. AAC therefore calls on the Lagos Panel of Inquiry to maintain their honour by handing off cases of Lekki and the Lagos massacre. An independent and unbiased truth commission is what is moral and judicial!

“Another Lagos without these use of tyrannical engagements is very possible. AAC believes that all oppressed must unite and concretely demand for a new Nigeria nay world. 

“The #EndSARS movement has shown the correctness of our party and movement's positions that the ruling parties are consciously imposing poverty and hardship, as the discoveries of hoarded COVID-19 palliatives show. 

“Governor Sanwo-Olu must toe the path of honour by stepping aside and surrendering to the International Crimes Commission at Hague over inflicting such fatal attacks on peaceful and legitimate protesters.

“Meanwhile, Lagos AAC send our condolences to all protesters killed. We pray you all rest in power. We also condole with police workers who were mobbed. All are victims of this rotten political system."

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The Lagos State Chapter of the African Action Congress has said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state, must be made to answer for crimes against humanity over his role in the killing of peaceful protesters on October 20 at the Lekki Toll Gate.

In a statement by Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, the state Chairman of party, the AAC said Sanwo-Olu misled Nigerians on his role in the killings which extended beyond Lekki before he was fingered by the military for his involvement.

It reads, “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is very involved with the massacre committed through the Lekki shootings and other shootings around Lagos State in Badagry, Mushin, Berger, Ketu, Abule Egba, Ikotun, Igando and several other areas. He is the one that invited the military as well as even SARS (in the case of Lekki and Surulere) and the police. 

“Also, Sanwo-Olu misled the public many times with open lies by first denying the Lekki shootings and then blaming only the army, just as the governor also said no one was killed and later confessed he saw just two bodies in the morgues(whereas, Governor Sanwo-Olu was at the Lekki scene by 3am according to eyewitnesses accompained by the Maroko Police Division DPO.

“These inconsistent and conscious efforts at militarizing against real democratic engagements like protests show that Governor Sanwo-Olu is a despot and he has no place in modern democracy. He should therefore step aside now!

“Revelations have also shown that Governor Sanwo-Olu was in the know of the removal of CCTV cameras as well as the switching off of all the lights. It is therefore clear that this genocide happened same way at most parts of Lagos in quite a premeditated manner. 

“Lagos AAC use this opportunity to also call on all activists and peaceful people of Rivers State to rise and protest against the #Oyigbomassacre still ongoing. The vampires must not be allowed to keep trampling on us with their thirst for "mud and blood". How can Governor Wike and the military claim to be maintaining peace by condoning off a whole society and it's environs and you start maiming, killing, and destroying?!

“Finally, we call on all Lagosians to rise and ask Governor Sanwo-Olu and his cronies to step down. The weight of such massacre that precendented widespread violence and brutal repressions were caused by the state government's premeditated and organized fatal attacks on the #EndSARS movement for peacefully and legitimately ignoring an ill-advised, immoral, and undemocratic curfew. AAC therefore calls on the Lagos Panel of Inquiry to maintain their honour by handing off cases of Lekki and the Lagos massacre. An independent and unbiased truth commission is what is moral and judicial!

“Another Lagos without these use of tyrannical engagements is very possible. AAC believes that all oppressed must unite and concretely demand for a new Nigeria nay world. 

“The #EndSARS movement has shown the correctness of our party and movement's positions that the ruling parties are consciously imposing poverty and hardship, as the discoveries of hoarded COVID-19 palliatives show. 

“Governor Sanwo-Olu must toe the path of honour by stepping aside and surrendering to the International Crimes Commission at Hague over inflicting such fatal attacks on peaceful and legitimate protesters.

“Meanwhile, Lagos AAC send our condolences to all protesters killed. We pray you all rest in power. We also condole with police workers who were mobbed. All are victims of this rotten political system."

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Farmers have attributed the rising cost of food prices in Nigeria to drought and lack of incentives.

The prices of food items in the country have doubled in recent times, exposing many individuals and households further to hunger and starvation.

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In Lagos and Port Harcourt, a bag of rice, which is a staple, has gone from N18,000 to N32,000. 

A bag of onions, which used to sell for N25,000, now goes for N76,000 with one piece going for N100 in most markets across the country.

The price of a Mudu/Derica of beans has also gone up from N250/300 to N500 in some markets.

Shedding light into why the price of food items had been shooting up, Adeola Adegoke, National President of Cocoa Farmers Association, told SaharaReporters on Monday that lack of rainfall combined with lack of incentives from the government was chiefly responsible for the hike in price.

He said, “The truth of it is that we cannot run away from the reality of the change in our weather system. When you look at it in the last six months we have noticed a lot of paradigm shift that rain-fed agriculture is not sustainable and because of what we are seeing today coupled with the COVID restrictions that have brought lockdown which invariably affected farmers and also decreased production and productivity per most of the commodities which Cocoa is also one that has been affected and other food crops.

“What has led to this is that the amount of rainfall has reduced, the peak period that most of these products are supposed to be growing, fruiting and giving increment, the rain stopped abruptly and for two close to three months, the rain did not fall.

“Most of the things yam, coconut, pepper, tomatoes, vegetables God destroyed because of the excessive heat and this affected the production and the moment you see scarcity, what happens when demand is above supply? It gives room for skyrocketing of prices.”

Adegoke also attributed the cause of the problem in part to the high cost of production, which farmers have to bear without government subsidies.

“Another area is the input when you look at it, most are produced by companies and they are imported and when the farmers go to buy it you see that the prices are just jumping and at the end of the day when you buy input such as fertiliser, herbicides fungicides at high prices — because for agriculture to be sustainable you have to make it a business, there must be profit margin, that is the only way.

“So for us to create food security is to have a balanced ratio so what we have seen is that farmer shave the high cost of input which invariably affects outputs although in cocoa it is different because the farmers are not even the one giving the price, it is the Europeans, the Americans who are the chocolate consumers that disrate the price but when it comes to other food crops, the truth of it is is that input has been very high.

“And that is why we have been saying that for sustainable Agriculture, the government must come to the aid of the farmers by subsidising the input because the moment the capacity of farmers cannot absorb the input mechanism that are drivers of the food crops or other commodities, what you see is prices that will skyrocket because if farmers cannot make a profit, they will be discouraged and if they are discouraged it limits the number of farmers that will produce next season,” he said.

He called for improvement in infrastructure that make farming easy and mitigate the impact of climate change and incentives that can encourage young people in the country to take up farming.

Adegoke said, “Another thing is the weather problem and that is why we are encouraging irrigation, the government and the private farmers' organisation must look into how to create a modular education system and that is why when you see what is happening in Isreal and other countries you see a kind of promising agriculture that happens every season.

“There is no season that you can say this is a rainy or dry season because they have agriculture all through and most of their planted crops are given production throughout the year because irrigation is key.

“We can see that it is better in the northern area because they have a lot of dams and the farmers key into it by making sure they extend pipes to their different farms unlike what is happening in the southern areas; there are no dams.

“Infrastructure such as road networks have been so bad. For example, a farmer that is in a remote area, before you carry a bad of cocoa to the outer area you realise that you are spending about five thousand Naira, that is an extra cost. Ditto if it is another bag of vegetable, a bag of cocoyam or a bag of yam — all these if you are going to transport it at the end of the day, it must manifest when you are to sell it and that is why I believe these are carryover expenditure.

“Sometimes we have a higher demand than supply and that is why the country must encourage youths to go into agriculture, many of our farmers today are old which is so rampant in the cocoa sector. The average age of a farmer is 65.

“It is happening because there is no better incentive for the farmer just like what is responsible for the #EndSARS because you cannot say the youth should go into agriculture when there are no roads, even when you go into your farms you cannot access it, the price of the input, when you sell the product at the end of the day you cannot make gains.

“We have the average age because the youths have refused to key into it and why they are refusing is because it is not encouraging in terms of profitability.

“When you look at it in terms of infrastructure, road, light, in fact in the urban area they are not even enjoying light not to talk of the rural areas. The health sector — how many clinics do we have in rural communities? All these are making the youths to run away from it.”

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Some protesters in Osun State have called on the state government to stop the clamp down on protests in the state.

The state government had cracked down on protesters in Osun after an alleged attack on the state governor.

The EndSARS protest, which took place across the country, was met with violence, leading to the killing of at least two persons in Oshogbo, the state capital, by security operatives attached to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, while he was dispersing the demonstators.

However, the Osun State Government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, on Sunday, moved to suppress further demonstrations.

But the protesters through their spokesperson, Olawale Bakare (Mandate), in a statement said the youth will continue to push for an end to police brutality in the state.

The group also tasked the state government and law enforcement agents to protect protesters rather than forcefully dispersing and arresting them.

Mandate said, "As peaceful youth, we have been engaging in demonstrations since the emergence of #EndSARS protest nationwide. Unfortunately, we have wild and rude leadership.

"Yemi Lawal, Commissioner for Youth and Sport, had no intelligent response to answer the youth of Osun but called us a set of irresponsible youth. The unruly and unprofessional way of engagement of Yemi Lawal would not be overlooked and condoned.

"We tried to communicate our demands to them but we were met with disgraceful and embarrassing words from a supposed Commissioner of Youth and Sports. Also, this same Yemi Lawal masterminded the kangaroo Judicial Panel of Inquiry where he added his own boys, who were never seen at the barricade or even sympathised.

"Adding salts to injury, the Government of Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola has contracted the military and other forces in the state to gag us from expressing our grievances. It is not new to the people of Osun where the government will call on the military to dehumanise and violate the rights of citizens as seen in the Ilesa saga during the curfew in the viral video.

“We will remain peaceful and always remain as such but the government must understand that this state is better run based on law and not hooliganism or gangsterism as the right of the people to protest is constitutionally guaranteed."

The group also insisted on the reconstitution and review of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry to include arrest and prosecution of identified hoodlums and officers found guilty of any allegation.

"We hereby call for the immediate and unconditional review of this Judicial Panel of Inquiry. We request that no panelist must have controversial antecedents and track records of service must be acceptable to the protesters.

“We emphatically demand that the protesters should also be adequately and satisfactorily represented in the Judicial Panel of Inquiry as a way to encourage transparency. We also demand that every sitting of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry which must comprise of persons of integrity and moral excellence must be aired and televised live for all the people of Osun and Nigeria at large to follow,” Mandate added.

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In the Nigerian polity, there have been heated discussions around the regulation of social media.

This discussion was brought to the fore again after the #EndSARS protest, which was anchored largely on social media.

The social media was used for mobilization, reaching the international community among many other purposes. It got to a stage that the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter joined the campaign and even asked that donations be made to support the movement.

The Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has not hidden his support for regulating the social media, he was reported to have said that Nigeria should be able to regulate the social media whenever they want citing instances of China and other countries.

Desmond Elliot although later apologised also called for the regulation of the social media, he was reported to have said that if the social media is not regulated, it may end up ending the country.

With many opinions on social media, it is important to weigh-in on this development.

While Lai Mohammed was quick to mention the regulation of social media in China, he was not quick to point out that corruption is hugely frowned against in China and was not quick to mention that there are ways of reaching out to the government in China especially as a responsive government.

History has shown that many of the agitations anchored on social media have been caused by bad governance. When the people feel cut-out from the government, they fall back to the means they feel is accessible for them and in this case, the social media is a case of last resort.

Years before 2020, Nigerians had clamoured for a reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and tasked the government on this but nothing concrete was done, at least based on the continued atrocities of the SARS personnel.

In the wake of the protests against SARS, another hashtag was trending and this time, it was against banditry and insecurity in the North, those who pioneered this noted that they were tired of the incessant killings and all efforts to get more precise efforts by the government has failed, they went to Twitter to trend their thoughts.

In instances, we have seen the social media helping the government make better policies, the question should be why the social media has become scary to various stakeholders.

The power of social media is truly massive, the world is now more connected through it.

The first place to get information now is social media. I agree with the school of thought that there is a need to fight cybercrime and propaganda but I also am of the school of thought that in a country like Nigeria where leaders see themselves as gods, where economy management is poor, where corruption is almost legal and where citizens are begged for votes but shut-out after voting, the social media cannot be regulated.

I am also of the school of thought that while the menace of Fake news exists, the irresponsibility of those who should give the country better representation has strengthened fake news, in fact we have many stakeholders deploying same social media to their own bias advantage, we cannot regulate the social media to contain the failures of the government.

In Nigeria, media houses are gagged on what to report sometimes through laws such as the NBC Code and sometimes they are scared of losing patronage and at this, they shy away from fact reporting while opting for corporate values.

On the social media, Nigerians are some of the best minded persons, learning to create great moments from even bad times and standing together but when the government pushes them to the wall, the government should be blamed not the social media.

The social media has come to stay and it is important that the government understands that a citizenry that is vocal and visible is better than one which is in hiding and can launch without notice.

The best way to regulate the social media is to put in best efforts towards improving governance, if there is a need to prosecute anyone who has used the social media as a ground to propagate fake news, there are clear laws to do so and they can be exploited in this regard.

The government should not also forget that figures within the circle of government may be among the first to break the rule if social media is attempted to be regulated and if they will not be respecters of the law, there would be no need to create tension further in the environment.

For those countries that regulated the social media, they banked on local innovations and the fact that they are delivering the dividends of democracy. The dividends in Nigeria are looted, this is enough reason to give the people a voice and not steal their only solace; the social media.

Olanrewaju Oyedeji is the Coordinator, Digital Literacy Advocacy Club. He can be reached via olanrewajusamuel8@gmail.com

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Tighter rules aim to curb Germany's Covid surge, but France's lockdown is tougher.

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The US star was best known for his roles in the film The Kids Are All Right, and the TV show Surface.

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Christine Holgate faced criticism after public money was spent on Cartier watches for employees.

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The Taliban denies being behind the attack as security forces battle with gunmen on the campus.

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Police detain the Chadema chairman after his party called for protests against the election results.

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Typhoon Goni has caused destruction and flooding after striking parts of the Philippines.