Social media bill: Closing space for free speech
Interested stakeholders and various media practitioners who have been jolted by the Social media bill before the National Assembly have remained watchful on how the Senate will handle the bill described as an attempt to gag the society.
A senator in the upper House of National Assembly, Bala Ibn Na’Allah had sponsored a bill in the house “Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill 2015” popularly tagged “Anti-Social Media Bill” seeking to stop spurious accusations and blackmailers who are using mainstream and social media platforms to attack members of the society.
The Bill proposes a two-year jail term or a N2 million fine or both for anybody that posts or broadcasts false, abusive statements on social media.
Since then, the bill has received wide criticism from members of the society who described it as attempt to close the space for free speech. The bill which in content and character is not totally different from Decree 4 of 1984 that gagged the press is an attempt, according Akonte Ekine to stifle Nigerian society through the media.
He said presently members of community have established mediums for publications and not journalists only and some of them push materials to the society that are not well verified. While stating that this issue cannot be addressed through a bill, Akonte however proposed for strong stakeholder conversation that will address standards, morals and ethics in social media.
Other analysts believe that judiciary is there to intervene in issues of defamation or libel against individuals in the society.
Reacting to the bill, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN urged the National Assembly to cease and desist from considering or passing any laws seeking to abridge constitutionally guaranteed free speech as such laws will not only be unconstitutional, they undermine our system of democracy and the rights we all fought for.
In a statement signed by its president, Nduka Obaigbena, NPAN said “we cannot because of a few irritations on the social media seek to clamp down on the rights of citizens to freely hold and share opinion on any platform. We believe any untruths should be confronted by facts not laws, and indeed the Freedom of Information Act should be enhanced to promote more openness in governance”.
House spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas said in a media report “As Chairman, House Committee on Media, I must say that we cannot close space for free speech.
“We came on the platter of change and it was this social media that brought us to power and we are making effective changes on that. I think we should live with that,” Namdas was quoted as saying.
He said: “We would like to ensure that there is free speech. And the only thing we try to enjoin is that journalists, who are trained, who know the ethics of journalism, should also join the social media activity so that we can differentiate between the grains and the chaff. “I think that is most essential, but we should not leave it for just those who think they can just post anything. Ideally, I think it is very important that we allow free speech”
It was also cheering news last weekend when Senate President, Bukola Saraki assured online publishers and other social network operators that the senate would not censor the media. The assurance, according media report was contained in a statement by his Media Assistant, Bamikole Omishore, made available to journalists in Abuja.
The statement said that Saraki gave the assurance when the Executive Board of the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria led by its president, Olufemi Awoyemi, visited him. Saraki told the group that he would not support any form of censorship of the media, saying that the 8th Senate remained committed to the principles of fair, responsible and open engagement.
Daniel Obi