Northern Governors under the aegis of Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) have called for the regulation of social media.
The Governors made the call in a communiqué issued in Kaduna on Monday November 2, at the end of their meeting with traditional rulers and other political office holders from the region.
The Governors who said the effect of uncontrolled social media is devastating, added that it has to be regulated in order to halt the dangers of spreading fake news. They also condemned the “subversive” actions of some #EndSARS protesters, saying some people took advantage of peaceful protest to push their “separative agenda”.
Meanwhile, the NSGF on Saturday, October 31, announced plan to commission and bankroll a study of the protest and job creation by the Centre for Historical Documentation and Research, Arewa House, Kaduna, with a view to forestalling future occurrences and mitigating the outcomes, particularly for the Northern region.
Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal disclosed in Kaduna at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the establishment of the Arewa House which is affiliated to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Tambuwal who represented the Chairman of NSGF, Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong, assured the Arewa House that its recommendations in the #ENDSARS study would be implemented by the NSGF.
He also said the Forum is also interested in commissioning another study on youths engagement and development with bias on job creation and entrepreneurship in Northern Nigeria.
He later explained why it became necessary to undertake the study during a stakeholders meetings with a cross section of Kaduna people held at the Kaduna State University (KASU), noting that the lessons to be learnt from the fallout of the #EndSARS are many.
“Economically it runs into trillions of Naira,” he stated, emphasizing that had that kind of mayhem happened in the North, the region may not have been able to cope with it as it “doesn’t have money for the reconstruction” that would have been required.
Pointing out that it is in the collective interest of the North to reject unrest and violence, Gov. Tambuwal who was in company of his Jigawa and Kaduna counterparts, urged all leaders in the region to be “accommodating and draw people closer.”
