TOWARDS A SPEECHLESS COUNTRY
As the Senate inches close to perfecting the hate speech bill, they hope to satisfy the lugubrious desire of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to silence Nigerians from expressing their views as enshrined in their rights as human beings. What they may not envisage is a possible dangerous ricochet of the bullet they are about to fire against free speech.
The ruling APC has been able to cross so many sensitive lines by all standards of reasonable limits since 2015. They have managed to effectively engage a well-crafted propaganda of change and war against corruption to razzle-dazzle Nigerians, while the use of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been effective in shackling opposition politicians. The hate speech bill may however backfire and put an end to the ruling party’s inglorious leadership which has left Nigeria at precipitous tilt.
It is instructive to note that the hate speech law presently in the works is coming at a time rational minded Nigerians are no longer applauding President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. It can no longer be business as usual for the ruling party based on its woeful performance in four years and still counting.
Nigerians have come to realize that anti-corruption war is limited to opposition politicians and yahoo boys, hence the hate speech law will only affect those government see as dissenting voices. They have come to realize that the APC at all levels is as corrupt as previous administrations. They have come to realize that terrorism has taken different dimension for the worse, Boko haram fighters are being released while soldiers are killed. Killer herdsmen are claiming responsibility for mass murders as government is mounting pressure to gift them lands and funds to “appease” them. Gunmen and kidnappers are smiling to the banks with huge funds tagged as ransom.
Nigerians are aware that the military, paramilitary, ministries and parastatals are all in the hands of a section of the country under brazen bigotry, ethnicity and openly displayed nepotism. Nigerians are aware that their votes will never count under the APC government. Nigerians will remember Buhari’s infamous “monkey and Baboon” blood threat, they will also remember he told supporters to kill whoever will not make their votes count. Nigerians therefore know that this administration has no justification for its tacit move against Nigerians veiled as hate speech.
The sane Nigerian is aware that the social media space is the people’s court, a neutral fourth estate of the realm which gives them power of advocacy against the three other estates of the wreck.
Israel A. Ebije,ebijeo5@gmail.com