The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto State, Matthew Kukah, has cautioned the Federal Government on the proposed move to regulate social media.
Kukah, who was spoke on Friday at the convocation lecture of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, said the proposed move could hinder freedom of speech.
He noted that a nation thrive on free flow of ideas and information among its citizenry and added that ethnicity and religion had become liabilities in Nigerian context.
Kukah said: “We are over 90 per cent Christians and Muslims in Nigeria but there is nowhere in the world where religion has become an incubus, a burden and source of dreadful violence as it has in Nigeria.
“Our leaders are kneeling before pastors and imams seeking blessings while the rest of the world is moving on, drawing inspiration from sweat, brains and brawn even without evoking God.
“We evoke God to witness to our corruption and outright larceny.”
The Catholic archbishop also said he was ready to defend freedom of speech in Nigeria with the last drop of his blood.
According to him, social media was an avenue for Nigerians to bear their minds and feelings about happenings in the country.
Kukah said the freedom to speak must be done responsibly and asked the government to be careful on the planned regulation of social media.
“I’m worried that many in power don’t know the sacrifice we made. The freedom we fought for,” he added.
