The Presidency, Monday asked Nigerians to be calm on the issue of the social media bill, which aims to prohibit frivolous petitions, and gag the press, as President President Muhammadu Buhari would not sign any legislature that does not conform with the constitution.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, reiterated the commitment of the Buhari led administration to the protection of free speech in keeping with democratic tradition.
Shehu who was reacting to the public hostility trailing the social media bill now being debated by the Senate, said the President has sworn to defend the constitution of Nigeria and would not lend his hand to anything that is inconsistent with the constitution. “But he is not averse to lawful regulation, so long as that is done within the ambit of the constitution which he swore to uphold.”
According to Shehu, the President said free speech is central to democratic societies anywhere in the world. The President, he said further explained that without free speech, elected representatives won’t be able to gauge public feelings and moods about governance issues.
“As a key component of democratic principles,” the President acknowledged that people in democratic societies “are so emotionally attached to free speech that they would defend it with all their might.”
Shehu explained that President Buhari is fully aware of the public reservations about the proposed legislation but assured that there is no cause for alarm “because the Senate is a democratic senate. The President won’t assent to any legislation that may be inconsistent with the constitution of Nigeria.”
An anti social media bill which seeks to proposed by the National Assembly last week is attracting strong resistance from Nigerians.
The bill, if passed, will restrain an estimated 15 million Nigerians who currently use social media, and 43 million of the 145 million active phone users who use text, instant or twitter direct messaging services according to data from Facebook, the Nigeria Communication Commission, and the 2015 mid-year Mobile Africa survey conducted by Geopoll.
The bill proposes up to seven years in prison or $25,000 (£16,000) fine for “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.
It also proposed up to years in prison or $10,000 (£6,000) fine or both for anyone disseminating via text message, Twitter, WhatsApp, or any other form of social media an “abusive statement”.
Elizabeth Archibong
