Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has vowed to strengthen legislation against cyber-bullying and character assassination.

Abbas, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, said this became necessary following allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, saying this points to the danger of an unfettered and unaccountable social media.

Abbas said Gbajabiamila, the immediate past Speaker of the House, was one of the many victims of cyber-bullying, defamation and character assassination, maintaining that such acts not only undermine the integrity of democracy, but also erode the fabric of national unity.

Following the suspension of Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, in January, a leaked memo dated December 18, 2023, from the Office of Chief of Staff to the President revealed that President Bola Tinubu had approved N3 billion from the COVID-19 Palliative Fund for verification of the National Social Register, sparking outrage among Nigerians on social media.

He said while the government encourages freedom of expression and constructive dialogue, Nigerians must also be wary of the dangers of fake news and campaigns of slander and defamation, especially against the President and government officials.

Abbas observed that there had been a rise in defamation campaigns on social media with deliberate dissemination of false and misleading information to harm the reputation of individuals or organisations.

According to him, the 10th House has no intention to stifle free speech, but to protect the dignity of individuals and the integrity of public discourse.

The speaker said: “The recent unjustified and baseless allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, point to the danger of an unfettered and unaccountable social media. Yet Femi is just one of millions of Nigerians, who suffer cyber-bullying and coordinated campaigns of defamation daily. Too many victims are not as powerful as him to defend themselves.

“Those of us, who have worked with him for over a decade, can attest to his patriotism and integrity. His willingness to voluntarily subject himself to investigation by all security and law enforcement agencies demonstrates his rectitude and honour.”

He urged the security agencies to work diligently and swiftly to investigate all matters raised in his letter to them and inform Nigerians of their findings. “If not found guilty, these agencies must fish out those responsible for the character assassination and ensure they are brought before the law.”