The youngest legislator in Nigeria, Hon. Rukayat Shittu, has accused prominent figures in the entertainment industry, including Burnaboy, Olamide, Wizkid, and others of promoting drug abuse.
She has put forward a proposal for media regulations to curb the dissemination of drug-related content on platforms like social media, music videos, movies, and skits.
In her proposal, Hon. Rukayat argues that this initiative doesn’t intend to infringe on personal freedoms but aims to limit the exposure of drug abuse content to prevent its influence on young people. She highlights the alarming increase in drug-related issues among Nigerian youths and cites examples of celebrities endorsing drug use on social media.
Furthermore, she notes that drug abuse is prevalent in Nigeria’s South-West region and that social media plays a significant role in influencing young people’s behavior. She emphasizes the need for regulations to discourage drug abuse promotion.
Hon. Rukayat proposes regulations to ban the display of drug abuse-promoting content on various media platforms and suggests imposing penalties, potentially of a criminal nature, to deter such activities.
She argues that while individuals have the right to live their lives as they choose, media exposure of drug abuse content undermines government efforts to combat drug abuse.
The proposal has been addressed to various national bodies, including the National Broadcasting Commission, Nigerian Senate, Federal House of Representatives, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, among others.
