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Anxiety over senate’s move to regulate social media

By AFP
03 December 2015   |   4:07 pm
The Nigerian Senate is considering a new law to punish "abusive" or false statements published online against individuals or government bodies with up to two years in jail or a stiff fine. The Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill, currently before the Senate, seeks to outlaw malicious and untrue publications sent "through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or... any…

twitter connectThe Nigerian Senate is considering a new law to punish “abusive” or false statements published online against individuals or government bodies with up to two years in jail or a stiff fine.

The Frivolous Petitions Prohibition Bill, currently before the Senate, seeks to outlaw malicious and untrue publications sent “through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or… any social media post”.

It also proposes punishment for similar statements made “in any paper, radio or any medium or whatever description with malicious intent to discredit or set the public against any person or group of persons institutions of government”.

Rights groups on Thursday reacted angrily to the proposals, voicing fears for free speech and freedom of the press, despite assurances there will be no crackdown.

Senator Dino Melaye maintained that “credible individuals who operate on social media” were not being targeted nor anyone that publishes “any story that is true”.

But he claimed “reckless” statements, particularly from online media, needed to be checked.

“Where it (social media) has become an instrument of blackmail, an instrument of intimidation, an instrument of satanic manifestation, this senate should not allow it,” he said.

Senate majority leader Ali Ndume said there was a need “to make sure that people don’t just open their mouth or go online to publicise anything without being held accountable”.

Online media organisations, many of them based in the United States, have been among the most vociferous critics of Nigerian politics and politicians, particularly against corruption.

Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are also vocal.

In contrast, newspapers and broadcasters inside Nigeria have been more muted, in part due to ownership by senior business figures, politicians with ties to government or the government itself.

Information minister Lai Mohammed said on November 23 the government “does not intend to stifle free speech or abridge the rights of Nigerians to air their views freely.

“We are not about to regulate or stultify the social media,” he said.

Mausi Segun, Nigeria researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the bill was “an unnecessary addition to Nigeria’s existing laws on treasonable felony, sedition, defamation and libel”.

“If passed it will have grave implications for free speech,” she told AFP, calling it a “retrogressive attempt to restrict the ability of all Nigerians to express themselves freely”.

Reporters Without Borders said the bill’s wording was imprecise while the threat of a 2.0-million-naira ($9,940, 9,370-euro) fine and jail would create a “chilling effect” on the media.

“This level of imprecision in the wording of the law creates a very insecure environment for journalists and citizen journalists who might be investigating allegations against a public figure or others,” it added.

“It basically can prevent investigative journalism from taking place.”

Adetokunbo Mumuni, of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), said his group had written to the UN to urge parliament to withdraw the bill.

He accused lawmakers of “working to undermine access of citizens to the Internet” and creating “an atmosphere of fear among bloggers and online activists”.

“The bill will restrain access to Internet and social media, curtail the freedom of the press and online content in illegitimate, disproportionate or otherwise unlawful and abusive ways,” he said.

“The real targets of the bill are social media and human rights defenders that might be critical of government policies or report on corruption involving high ranking government officials.”

6 Comments

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    Lobatan!!! Back to 1983. Change is on the move

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    My own question is, what will be the penalty for public officials that refuses to make relevant information and data available to the public, so that the issues of false or incorrect postings or publications will be avoided???

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    Multimedial expression involves some sense of commensurate personal responsibility to the freedom to express but it seems this enigmatic, potentially totalitarian, lame-duck senate has something else in mind…

  • Author’s gravatar

    After riding on this same platform to victory at the last general elections you now want to gag the platform. Slide down the lane of authocray continues. China here we come.
    People, what it means is that you cannot even make the kind of comments we see regularly on online articles. Lol.

  • Author’s gravatar

    “Where it (social media) has become an instrument of blackmail, an
    instrument of intimidation, an instrument of satanic manifestation,” Dino Melaye said. Up to and during last general elections, APC, Dino Melaye, Lai Mohammed and Ahmed Tinubu turned the social media, which was hitherto benign, into instrument of blackmail, intimidation, and satanic manifestation. Having failed in delivering on their promise, and Nigerians using the same media to air their disappointment, APC is now embarking on a futile journey to stifle the media. APC and PMB used Boko Haram in the same way to achieve the same purpose. Now they see the need to wipe out Boko Haram by December, 2015.

    What goes around, comes around. APC and PMB will, by the law of karma, not be able to muzzle the social media or end Boko Haram insurgency. The social media and BH must hunt them, and like the Frankenstein Monster, devour them. Bill or no Bill.