By Punch Editorial Board
At a time major global
media technology companies such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter have
written openly to the United States President, Barack Obama, to demand less
government surveillance, the Nigerian parliament is forging ahead with an obnoxious
bill to curtail press freedom.
To the consternation of
many Nigerians, a bill that seeks “a seven-year jail term for social media
critics found guilty of inciting the public against the Federal Government”
scaled the first reading in the Senate. Titled, “Computer Hacking, Anti-419
Bill”, and promoted by Gbenga Kaka (Ogun APC), the bill is an assault on the
freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of speech as
expressly guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution in Section 39, sub-sections 1 and
2.
Although the bill seeks
stiffer punishment for internet fraudsters, who will be jailed for seven years
upon conviction, the government is just hiding behind a thin finger to bring
back the repression of the media. A clause inserted in the bill reveals the
real intention of the government, which is apparently targeting individuals who
may be using the social media to criticise government.
The high point of the
latest offensive is in Section 13 sub-section 3 of the bill. It states,
“Anyone, who intentionally propagates false information that could threaten the
security of the country or that is capable of inciting the general public
against the government through electronic message, shall be guilty of an
offence and, upon conviction, shall be sentenced to seven years imprisonment or
N5m (fine).”
Though the offending
section was later dropped because, as the Senate said, it “could be abused at
any point in time and could be misinterpreted,” media watchers should continue
to monitor the controversial bill.
Rather, the parliament
should be more concerned about a lack of official policy that has made the cost
of internet access in Nigeria very expensive despite the attempts by some
telecoms firms to install infrastructure. The government should reflect on the
reaction of a former Vice-President, Abubakar Atiku, who said, “I’ve always
told our political leaders to see (the) social media as a performance
barometer, and not a threat.”
The (social) media gives a
voice to the ordinary people to be heard about the activities of government. An
administration that signed the Freedom of Information Bill into law two years
ago cannot reverse the gains of such a law by curtailing the right of Nigerians
to express their opinions about the same government on the social media.
Nigeria’s digital ecosystem
is still evolving; it needs a strong, focused government policy to reach the
heights that will help our democracy grow. We see the move to abridge the
freedom of the press as a red herring, a diversion from the real issues
plaguing the country. The Senate has not intervened in the infrastructure
crisis facing Nigeria in the area of roads and power. University lecturers have
just called off the strike they began on July 1; their counterparts in the
polytechnics are in the fourth month of their own strike.
The obsolete Railway Act of
1955, which vests control of such a critical sector in the Federal Government
alone, is hindering private sector investment, which is seriously slowing down
the economy. There is also the issue of a lopsided federalism that favours an
unnecessarily big central government. These are some of the germane issues that
demand the urgent attention of our lawmakers.
We want to remind our
legislators, who, ironically, are also actively using the social media to
promote their causes on Facebook, Twitter and other channels, that there are
enough laws in the books that deal with libel, slander, false publications and
other infractions that the media could commit.
These laws should be tested
first before any other one is made to restrict media professionals and citizen
journalists from carrying out their constitutional duties. To counter claims of
ignorance, these laws are circulated online in the United Kingdom by the
authorities. Our legislators should stop this attempt to gag Nigerians on the
social media, but devote their time to the real issues that can help develop
the country.
The regular media should
take up the fight to gag the social media in the National Assembly. The
Nigerian media has had a long history of repression and the media organisations
should make their voices count against a law that aims to bring back the
insanity of the past.
Serious governments across
the world are responding to the advent of the social media by opening up the
space and legislating against criminals like paedophiles, not by hunting down
commentators. In Australia, the government is controlling the space by
restricting underage users (under-13) from cyber space. In the UK, access to
some sites that promote terror, crime and paedophilia is blocked through the
Internet Service Providers; the country does not regulate those who want to
criticise the government.
By spreading education on
the law of contempt online, governments in free societies are correcting public
misconception that the internet is somehow a free speech zone to which the
criminal and civil laws do not apply. It should be the case here.
Every attempt to suppress
free speech is bound to fail in a free society. The parliament should throw out
the bill before it subjects itself to further ridicule in the eyes of right
thinking people.
Source: The Punch
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