The bills – ‘Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill 2019’ and the ‘National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches Bill, 2019’, known as the Social Media Bill and Hate Speeches Bill – were introduced in the National Assembly in November 2019.
Browsing: social media bill
The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu,
The Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and other stakeholders have rejected the proposed law on Protection from Internet Falsehoods, Manipulations and other matter related.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said the National Assembly would not arrogate to itself the power of exclusively passing the social media bill into law without inputs from the Nigerian public.
The Presidential aide, who spoke at the Kawararafa Media Award, said the emerging modern media platform had played a strong role in promoting information sharing, strengthening democracy and building networks of relationships, but without supervision or control, the nation risks more havoc
Already, the bill, sponsored by Senator Sabi Abdullahi, had been passed into Second Reading in the Senate.
Ahmed told the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of the 2019 Future Awards in Lagos that the bill would undermine the freedom of speech as entrenched in the constitution and also gag the press
Senator Mohammed Musa has urged Nigerians to support the social media bill before the National Assembly because it was aimed at protecting human dignity.
Despite public outcry, the Senate on Wednesday passed the Social Media into second reading as the lawmakers proposed three years imprisonment for the offenders.
This came a week after the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Laid Mohammed, said the social media constituted real danger to the unity of the country
The bill, sponsored by Senator Bala Ibn Na’allah, a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kebbi State, has been widely criticised and is seen as not only a significant clampdown on freedom of speech, but a deliberate targeting of critics of federal lawmakers and the National Assembly
He said there were extant laws which regulated the practice of journalism in the country and these were adequate
The protest, being attended by civil societies that are against the bill, was ongoing as at press time
In a reaction to the Bill on Monday, Buhari reiterated the commitment of his administration to the protection of free speech in keeping with democratic tradition
In a statement on Sunday by its spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi, the Senate said members of the public, including those for or against the anti-frivolity bill or parts of the bill, will have the opportunity to shape its final outcome as there is an elaborate process, which the bill must undergo before it becomes a law
The President of NATCOMS, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos
The bill recommends a two-year jail term to N2 million fine or both for anyone considered to have abused another on any social media platform.