Ned Nwoko, senator representing Delta North, has renewed his push for his social media regulation bill after a TikTok video falsely claimed he paid someone to kill Regina Daniels.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ned said the controversy shows how easily dangerous lies spread online because there are no firm rules guiding digital platforms. The bill had earlier passed its second reading in the Senate on March 18.
The senator’s reaction followed a viral clip posted by a TikTok user known as liaroftiktok. In the video, the creator alleged that Nwoko gave him money to murder Regina Daniels, described in the clip as his estranged wife.
The same creator later released another video withdrawing the allegation, admitting he had made it up while “creating content.”
Nwoko said this type of behaviour has become common on social media, where people make very serious allegations simply to get views, with no concern for the damage done.
He said that the lack of consequences encourages deviant behaviour, adding that the episode shows why the national assembly must act quickly on the social media bill.
The senator said, “You can’t lie to make money and turn around to apologize after criminally defaming and hurting people.”
“It is time for social media companies to be mandated to open offices in Nigeria and to take responsibility for what they allow on their platforms.”
“If landlords are being threatened with punishments for actions of their tenants who are yahoo boys, what stops social media companies from being held responsible for allowing defamatory contents in their platforms?”
“All our local media houses comply with laws concerning defamation. Why make an exception for foreign companies who don’t pay taxes and ultimately avoid all manner of liabilities because of the absence of regulations.”
Nwoko asked Nigerians to support the proposal, saying it only seeks to ensure that major online platforms register and operate physically in the country.
He explained that the bill would promote job creation, support technology transfer, strengthen tax collection and make it cheaper for citizens to seek legal action against tech companies.
The senator added that it would also assist in tracking criminal activities online and ensure that Nigerians’ data stays within the country instead of being controlled overseas.
