Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has urged Bola Tinubu’s Federal Government to clamp down on social media.
He warned that unchecked “lies and misinformation” online could plunge Nigeria into chaos.
Nwifuru made the appeal on Friday in Abakaliki during a courtesy visit by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, who was on a tour of federal projects in the state.
The governor said engaging youths in agriculture would channel their energy into productive ventures and discourage destructive activities on social media. He also urged the government to impose restrictions on social media use to curb the spread of false information.
He explained that while the government was not seeking to control young people, it had a duty to protect them from “misinformation and the negative impact of false social media reports.”
“While growing up as a young man, it was always a thing of joy to own a farm but these days, youths hardly engage in agricultural activities. It is high time we put serious restrictions especially on unfounded stories. You go to social media and see posts declaring someone dead while the person is hale and hearty, yet the writer faces no sanction. This is not how a country should operate,” Nwifuru said.
On President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Nwifuru noted that the work of several ministries was under-reported, creating the impression that only the Ministries of Works and the Federal Capital Territory were active.
He praised the appointment of Chief David Umahi as the first Igbo Minister of Works since independence in 1960, describing him as “vibrant and committed.”
“He left his signature in Ebonyi which will be very hard for anybody to erase and we are proud and confident that he will leave same signature in the Federal Ministry of Works,” he said.
Nwifuru expressed confidence that Tinubu’s record in infrastructure and human capital development would secure his re-election in 2027, pledging Ebonyi’s full support.
He also commended the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said had already attracted over 400,000 student beneficiaries, as well as the Ebonyi postgraduate scholarship scheme for Masters and Doctorate training at home and abroad.
According to him, the state has also improved infrastructure and staffing in secondary schools to enhance education quality.
