The House of Representatives on Tuesday moved a motion for all pornographic websites to be blocked, citing an erosion of values among the youths.
The lower chambers passed a resolution directing the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to block access to these websites during plenary on Tuesday.
Dalhatu Tafoki, the member for the Faskari/Kankara/Sabuwa Federal constituency of Katsina state, moved the resolution and described it as an action to “protect societal values.”
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He said, “I would like to move a motion for the need to block internet websites hosting pornographic content and sanction the internet service providers responsible for the posting. The House notes that cyber pornography is fast becoming a global problem, and no concrete steps have been taken to cut its phenomenon in Nigeria.”
“Nigeria is a highly religious country, and all the major religions in the country forbid nudity and obscenity in any form. Also note that countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East have passed legislation that bans pornography in their domains.”
“Renowned psychologists and sociologists around the world have issued stern warnings that there are psychological and sociological consequences for creating pornographic content.”
“The immediate effects of doing pornographic content include a. promotion of adultery, prostitution, and other promiscuous behaviours, leading to addiction, escalation, and desensitisation, change of attitude towards oneself and family.”
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The motion was approved by the House, and its Committees on Communications and Legislative Compliance were instructed to see to its implementation and submit a report for additional legislative action within four weeks.
While legislators cast a voice vote in support of the proposal, Speaker of the House Tajudeen Abass also threatened to impose penalties on internet service providers that fail to comply.
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Statistics of porn consumption in Nigeria and Africa
Nigeria was ranked 13th in the world for Pornhub traffic in Pornhub’s 2020 report, with visitors spending an average of 34 minutes on the website.
According to a 2020 NOI Polls survey, 25 percent of Nigerian women and 61 percent of Nigerian males watched porn.
According to a 2019 report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 70 percent of Nigerian internet users found pornography online.
According to a 2020 analysis by Hootsuite, with a 10 percent rise in internet users in 2020, Africa has the greatest growth rate globally. Pornography would probably become more accessible as a result of this expansion.
According to an Afrobarometer survey conducted in 2019, 22 percent of Africans said they had accessed pornography online.
Many African nations were concerned about the spread of pornography, which could have detrimental effects on society and young people, according to a 2018 African Union report.
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