* Senator Abdullahi Sabi Vows To Go Ahead With Bill To Establish Prohibition Of Hate Speech

THE Senate has disowned itself from the Hate Speech Bill which passed first reading last week, saying that it is a personal bill from the sponsor.

Addressing Journalists Monday, acting Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, All Progressives Congress, APC, Nasarawa South said that contrary to widespread impression, the bill was not the idea of the 9th Senate.

Recall that a Bill to Establish a Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches resurfaced in the Senate last week.

The Bill titled, “National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches (Est, etc) Bill, 2019(SB.154) and sponsored by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, All Progressives Congress, APC, Niger North was read the first time at Plenary.

Akwashiki who noted that it was solely being sponsored by the Deputy Chief Whip, Sabi Abdullahi, based on his conviction, however described as unfortunate, the statement credited to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which insinuated that the bill was a Senate bill, skewed to make the alleged third term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He maintained that the fate of the bill would be determined on the floor of the Senate after a robust debate by senators.

Meanwhile, the ex-spokesperson for the Senate who sponsored the bill insisted at a news briefing on Monday that his proposed legislation was aimed at achieving peace in the country.

Briefing journalists at the National Assembly on Monday, Senator Sabi explained that he is sponsoring the bill because of the dangers that hate speech portends for the country.

He added that the bill has no ethnic or political undertones.

The bill was introduced on the floor of the Senate on November 12.

According to the lawmakers, the purpose for which the Commission is being proposed is to eliminate all forms of hate speech in Nigeria and to advise the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on all aspects thereof.

The bill also proposes that any person who commits an offence deemed as hate speech, shall be liable to life imprisonment and where the act causes any loss of life, the person shall be punished with death by hanging.

Section 4 of the Bill defined the act of hate speech as:

(1) A person who uses, publishes, presents, produces, plays, provided, distributes and/or directs the performance of any material, written and or visual which is threatening, abusive or insulting or involves the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior commits an offence if such person intends thereby to stir up ethnic hatred, or having regard to all the circumstances, ethnic hatred is likely to be stirred up against any person or person from such an ethnic group in Nigeria.

2) Any person who commits an offence under this section shall be liable to life imprisonment and where the act causes any loss of life, the person shall be punished with death by hanging.

The bill proposal came about a week after the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill 2019, passed through first reading at the Senate.

The proposed legislation seeks to prevent the broadcasting of falsehood and manipulations using social media platforms via internet broadcasts and transmissions.

The Bill is reminiscent of the Social Media Bill which was introduced in the Eight Assembly but was not passed because of widespread condemnation of the bill which some Nigerians felt was intended to stifle freedom of expression.

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