A bill seeking a two-year jail term for any person who makes allegation or publishes any statement or petition in the newspaper, radio or medium of whatever description against another person, institutions of government or any public office holder, passed second reading in the Senate, yesterday.
The bill also prescribed that anybody or group of persons who send any false text message or post false message on the social media against another person shall be jailed for two years upon conviction by the law court.
The bill, tagged: “A Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith”, sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’Allah, APC, Kebbi South, compels petitioners to accompany their petitions with sworn court affidavit, failure of which attracts a six- month imprisonment upon conviction.
But the bill provides for an option of N4 million for persons convicted of false newspaper, radio and television statements and N2 million for offenders of false phone text messages or messages on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, or WhatsApp.
“Where any person in order to circumvent this law makes any allegation and or publish any statement, petition in any paper, radio, or any medium of whatever description, with malicious intent to discredit or set the public against any person or group of persons, institutions of government, he shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment term of two years or a fine of N4,000,000.00”,the bill specified.
On the social media, the bill read: “Where any person through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or through any social media post any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the public against any person and group of persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established by law shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for two years or a fine of N2,000,000.00 or both fine and imprisonment.”
The bill said it shall be an offence for any petition to be submitted without a sworn affidavit from the law court.
“Not withstanding anything contained in any law, it shall be an unlawful to submit any petition, statement intended to report the conduct of any person for the purpose of an investigation, inquiry and or inquest without a duly sworn affidavit in the High Court of a state or the Federal High Court confirming the content to be true and correct and in accordance with the Oaths Act.
“Any petition and or complains not accompanied by a sworn affidavit shall be incompetent and shall not be used by any government institution, agency or bodies established by any law for the time being enforced in Nigeria.
“Any person who unlawfully uses, publish or cause to be published any petition, complaint not supported by a dully sworn affidavit shall be deemed to have committed an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for six months without an option of fine.
“Any person who acts, uses, or cause to be used any petition or complaints not accompanied by dully sworn affidavit shall be deemed to have committed an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for a term of two years or a fine of N200,000.00 or both, “the petition read.
Senator Na’Allah, in his lead debate, during the plenary, where he sought support for accelerated consideration of the bill, said: “Our past has portrayed us as a society where by mere expedience of writing a frivolous petition against public officials, you can have their right abused by taking certain measures that practically took away their right of presumptions of innocence only to be found later that the petition, as strong as it appears, on the paper actually lacks merit.”
“This sometimes, lead to a lot of innocent and most times honest civil servants being taken away from the public service only to be replaced by the dishonest ones, which invariably lead to the draining of the public service of civil servants with the desired integrity to move this country forward simply on grounds of principles.
“As a nation with strong desire to move forward, this negative trend must be reversed, if only the desired objectives of the country,” he stressed. He added: “the bill which appears ‘sunset’ in its nature consists of four sections which in clear terms spelt out the punishment for frivolous petition, and what constitutes frivolous petition.
“The bill seeks to provide punishment for frivolous petitions by making sure that only credible and. Verifiable petitions are presented for public use. “The utility of the bill is to equally save the time for good governance and resources that go into investigating frivolus petitions.The bill would equally assist in shaping our negative thinking by elevating hard work over and above sychophancy and indolence,”he further explained.
“The question to ask is, whether having passed the Freedom of Information Act which gives unfettered access by the public information from government offices they would be right for this government to continue to waste valuable time and resources in investigating frivolous petitions from the same public and I am sure you would find no difficulty in saying no to the ugly situation,”he stressed, while soliciting support for its consideration. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Is this new proposed law not against freedom of expression? This is a free country and I feel this law is to the extreme
ReplyDeleteWhat about passing a bill on corrupt public officers and judiciary. Miscreants..
ReplyDeleteHeheheeee.....its getting clearer....they want to stiffle the freedom of speech....dats good...God is not asleep,am very sure of dat...
ReplyDeleteBloody thieves....
Is this the change we voted for?
ReplyDeleteU people never see anything this one is just a small thing time is coming when Nigerians are going to see the change him self I am sorry for Nigeria Governor fayose even talk am but Nigerians called him a mad man and many names see soon this military Government will tell u when to sleep with ur own wife APC CHANG
ReplyDeleteHOW CAN SOME SOMEONE WHO SAYS 'BOOK BOKO' IS HARAM, LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA..
ReplyDeleteALL NETWORKS MAY END UP WITH CENSORSHIP
make you guy build more jail because u will jail tire
ReplyDeleteSo, non of them is ready to sponsor Bills to prosecute Federal Government for not providing stable electricity, security of lives and properties, employment for d youths, fuel, infrastructural facilities, and other national needs. Nawah oh! As events are unfolding, we are watching.
ReplyDeleteFor goodnes sake, what good has those guys got to offer the dying Nigerians? If they can't change our lots, they should at least leave us to air our views! Why throw us back into the stone age in the 21st century?
ReplyDeleteGEJ signed Freedom of information act into law. I pray PMB don't sign this bill when passed by National assembly. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right.
ReplyDeleteIs dis d kind of change we voted u peopl 4, hav u guys pass a bill prohibiting looting of govt treasury, hav u pass a bill against rigging elections to u people favour, hav u pass a bill against sub standard contracts u peopl claim u r given d citizens dividends of democracy. I can c dat bc of u peopl death brain, u tink we r still in military era. Dis law can neve com to stay in dis country, bc ur evils must b publicly pronounced .
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of idiots in the Senate. The purpose of this stupid bill is intimidation, nothing else. So, if I called one of them an idiot (which is what most of them are, by the way), I will be sent to prison for two years, or six months, or whatever? Can someone please tell this idiotic N'Allah to go get a brain transplant? He is proposing something that doesn't make any sense, and won't water.
ReplyDeleteDs Bill is A Trap for Fayose Oh APC de change is actually a shamefull Change. 5weeks now Petrol we cant buy freely again yet somebody does not want us to complain So If I show de Govt Amaechi Monorail dat was built 4 eight yrs is not an evidence untill i bring documents? Niga,We don Enter One Chance.....
ReplyDeleteIf the senate can be so fast in passing this bill...they shld pass bills which will sentence corrupt government officials to life imprisonment! Good Riddance 2 bad Rubbish
ReplyDeleteIf the senate can pass this bill they shld pass the bill which will sentence any corrupt government official to life imprisonment too!
ReplyDeleteThey didn't pass a bill to instal CCTV all over the country in order to curb crime and other vices, but a bill to shut the innocent people from saying their mind.....You should all remember " there's judgement day ooo ".
ReplyDeleteWe hav really entered a one chance bus in Nigeria. So in d midst of economic downturn ,insecurity of lives n properties, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, dilapidated health facilities, high rate of unemployment etc. all dat matters to those fools is how to restrict citizens' freedom of expression. Dis is indeed called a misplacement of priority. I'm really sorry for Nigerians cuz Buhari n APC are one so whatever d house decides he will assent to it. Only God can save Nigeria from dis monsters.
ReplyDelete