The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Lere Olayinka, has called for stricter regulations on the use of social media in Nigeria.
Olayinka, in a statement posted on his official X account on Monday, proposed that Nigerians should be required to provide both their National Identification Number (NIN) and a valid government-issued identification before opening or operating any social media account.
According to him, the requirement would help to curb the spread of fake news and improve accountability in the country’s online space.
He wrote, “NIN, Valid Identity Card (International Passport, Voter’s Card, Driver’s Licence). These two should be made compulsory to open and operate social media accounts. This proposal seeks to reduce misinformation and increase online accountability.”
LEADERSHIP reports that the NIN system in Nigeria is already mandatory for key services such as banking, telecommunications, and voter registration.
Olayinka argued that extending its use to digital platforms would align with the country’s existing identity verification framework and create a unified system for digital accountability.
Supporters of the proposal believe that linking social media to verified identities could make it harder for anonymous accounts, fake profiles, and bots to thrive, thereby reducing the spread of misinformation.
However, critics are likely to raise concerns about privacy, data protection, and the risk of government overreach in regulating digital spaces.
