Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has dissociated himself from the social media bill that had sparked widespread condemnation among Nigerians and human rights groups. According to the president, his government will continue to protect and uphold free speech in the country, in accordance with the democratic tradition across the world.
The bill, under consideration by Nigeria's Senate and sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na'allah, proposes a two-year imprisonment term and/or a NGN2m fine for anyone found guilty of making false remarks on social media, specifically Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the West African country's president has sworn to defend the constitution of Nigeria and will not lend his hand to anything that is inconsistent with the constitution.
"But he (Buhari) is not averse to lawful regulation, so long as that is done within the ambit of the constitution which he swore to uphold. The president said free speech is central to democratic societies anywhere in the world. The president explained that without free speech, elected representatives won't be able to gauge public feelings and moods about governance issues.
"As a key component of democratic principles, the president acknowledged that people in democratic societies are so emotionally attached to free speech that they would defend it with all their might,'' the senior special assistant said.
Using #NoToSocialMediaBill, Nigerians called for the total withdrawal of the bill and plans are underway to stage protests at the National Assembly.
Commenting on the bill, former Special Assistant on new media to President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, advised lawmakers not to pass the bill into law warning that they will be taking away one of the tenets of democracy which is freedom of expression.
"I call on the Senate to take a cue from ex-Pres Jonathan who faced false reports yet never tampered with free speech," he said. "Jonathan, at huge political cost to himself, signed Freedom of Information to law. Senate should let sleeping dogs lie! Throughout Jonathan's presidency, no one was jailed for speaking his mind. The Senate should not reversed that legacy."
While many local citizens want the bill scrapped immediately, the Senate claims its contents have been misunderstood.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said the senators would not succumb to any blackmail regarding the law. "People must be held responsible for their action. I believe what has been raised is important," he said.
Share