The Senate president, Bukola Saraki, yesterday admitted that there are unacceptable sections against the social media in the Frivolous Petitions Bill, which has generated controversies in the country.

Saraki spoke in Abuja, while declaring open a two-day sensitisation meeting on implementation of the guidelines on gender-based violence and young persons in Nigeria, organised by Women Arise, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

According to the Senate president, there is nothing like ‘Social Media Bill’ before the Senate. He, however, said there are “obnoxious” sections against the media in the Frivolous Petitions Bill which has been termed as social media bill.

But he assured that the obnoxious portions would not see the light of the day when the Senate finally concludes work on the controversial bill.

Saraki said: “It is not our intention to gag the social media at all. We want to run an open Senate so that you all can be part of it and by being part of it, we can get a better country.

“I want to reassure you that there is no bill in the Senate that is called Anti-Media Bill. I want to assure you that what we have before us is a bill on frivolous petitions; it has to do with petitions generally.

“Generally, when we debate bills at the second reading, we only debate the principles. We do not debate the details of the bill.

“Unfortunately, in the Bill of Frivolous Petitions, there are some sections which I will call obnoxious sections there, and I am sure, as you all know, those obnoxious sections would not see the light of the day by the time the bill is finished, because they have no relevance to the bill at hand which is all about frivolous petitions.”

Credit: Leadership