Nigerian Senate’s president Bukola Saraki says the controversial social media bill being considered by members of parliament will not be passed.
Human rights group and activists have criticized the bill as an attempt to muzzle free speech.
The bill aims to punish anyone who “propagates false information” on electronic media.
Saraki told a social media conference in Lagos that parliament recognises the role of social media in Nigeria’s development.
According to him, the proposed bill, presented to the senate last December, was “dead on arrival”.
It proposes up to seven years in jail or a $25,000 (£16,000) fine for anyone found to be sending “abusive messages”.
At the time, the hashtag #NoToSocialMediaBill was used to campaign against the proposal.
Nigeria has a vibrant civil society, with many activists who use social media for their campaigns. It has the largest number of mobile phone users in Africa.
