Ramadan Season: Shutdown Porn Sites Nationwide With Immediate Effect, Reps Tells NCC

Israel Adeleke 

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that amid the season of Ramadan the House of Representatives on Tuesday, directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to direct internet service providers in the country to block all websites hosting obscene and pornographic contents with immediate effect.

OTN News further reports that the news development was passed following a motion sponsored by an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from Katsina state, Dalhatu Tafoki, on Tuesday.

Moving the motion, Tafoki who argued that cyber pornography was becoming a global problem and that Nigeria had not taken adequate steps to address it, described Nigeria as a “highly religious country” where major faiths prohibit nudity and obscenity.

Furthermore, he said that several countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East had enacted laws banning pornographic, citing warnings from psychologists and sociologists about the negative impact of pornography, including its potential to encourage adultery, prostitution, and addiction.

According to him, renowned psychologists and sociologists around the world have issued stern warnings on the psychological, sociological and mental consequences of viewing pornographic content.

Lawmakers however, voted in support of the motion when Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, subjected it to a voice vote.

Subsequently, the house asked NCC to impose penalties on service providers that fail to comply with the directive.