Former Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar says the new bill to criminalise hate speech is backed by “those who
do not like to hear the inconvenient truth.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the
former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the
bill breaches Nigerians’ right to freedom of information.
The senate had reintroduced the
bill seeking to establish a commission for the prohibition hate speech in the country
on Tuesday.
The proposed legislation, which
has passed first reading, comes a week after the upper legislative chamber
introduced a bill to regulate social media.
In a statement from Paul Ibe, his
spokesman, Atiku urged lawmakers to channel their energy to seeking solutions
to Nigeria’s numerous challenges rather than “this Bill, which many citizens
consider obnoxious.”
“The contemplation of such laws
is in itself not just hate speech, but an abuse of the legislative process that
will violate Nigerians’ constitutionally guaranteed right to Freedom of
Speech,” he said in the statement shared with TheCable.
“Atiku urges those behind this
Bill to awake to the fact that Nigeria’s democracy has survived its longest
incarnation, because those who governed this great nation between 1999 and 2015
never toyed with this most fundamental of freedoms.
“It is prudent to build upon the
tolerance inherited from those years and not shrink the democratic space to
satisfy personal and group interests.”
He said freedom of speech is not
only guaranteed by Nigeria’s constitution but is also “a divine right given to
all men by their Creator.”
He added that Nigeria presently
has too many pressing concerns including being the world headquarters for
extreme poverty as well as “the global epicentre of out-of-school children.”
“Again, Atiku cautions that we
must prioritise our challenges ahead of the whims and caprices of those who do
not like to hear the inconvenient truth. Stop this folly and focus on issues
that matter to Nigerians,” the statement added.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com