Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to take legal action against the federal government over plans to regulate social media.

Naija News reported earlier that President Bola Tinubu declared that social media must be regulated because it has become a societal menace.

The President, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, said this at a book launch in Lagos State on Thursday, February 8, 2024.

President Tinubu also berated the menace of social media in disseminating fake and wrong information, which has almost torn the country apart and caused violence in some states.

The Nigerian leader stressed the need to regularize the framework of news dissemination on social media to avoid misinformation in the country.

He emphasized the importance of data in policy formulation for the growth of the country, stating that no developing country can succeed without adequate and well-informed data.

Reacting, however, SERAP, in a statement issued on Friday via its official handle on X, said the government’s intention is odd with the country’s constitution and international human rights standards.

It said: “The threat by the Tinubu administration to regulate social media is at odds with the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights standards. We’ll take legal action if the administration carries out its threat to restrict Nigerians’ rights on social media.”