By the time you read this, Bayelsa and Kogi states will have (s)elected new governors. While Senator Diri Douye is aiming to fit into the big shoes of Countryman Governor, Seriake Dickson, the APC and its candidate, David Lyon are determined to dislodge PDP from the Government House where it had been landlord since 1999.
To be able to achieve their aim, both fair and foul means are game to the combatants in the two states. Already, few heads have been blown off and blood is still flowing in the streets of the confounded states. Decent minds are mystified that one must kill the very people he is offering to serve, as if na by force. Very lucky Yahaya Bello, who became governor of the Confluence State on a platter of gold, is seeking to return to ofice, this time on his own merit. The problem, however, is that there is nothing meritorious about his lacklustre stay in Lugard House. Such is the case that even our delectable First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, had to practically beg Kogites to forgive Bello and reelect him.
I think that is all a needless game anyway. Bello may not need the votes of Kogi people. Whether they voted for him or not, he had been armed and empowered with a whopping warchest of N10 billion windfall from the Federal Government just at the right time. Therefore, Bello has ore than enough to covert trees to votes and displace the entire electorate.
Frankly speaking, I hope nobody takes me serious and label my wanderlust mind musing as engaging in hate speech. I could be delirious sometimes you know, especially when I am infected by malarial political ideas. So, I hope that the senateshall show mercy to recalcitrant reporters like me, who could easily get hanged for not putting their mouth in the right place or better still zp it up.
The senate of every nation is a repository of wisdom. It consists of men and women that have attained prominence in life and wish to deploy those rich experiences to making laws that would enhance the quality of life of the people.
Of course, that is the ideal but it becomes a different kettle of fish whenever a nation’s senate becomes a wastebasket, where vacuous or jaded brains are dumped, when a nation’s senate becomes a hideout for mostly sticky fingered men in flight after spending their years in fraudulent deals or misgoverning states under their charge. Of course, they could purchase the seats with wads of stolen money or drape it in the blood of the innocent or opponents. It is not surprising, therefore, that the few that manage to come to plenary do so with mindset solely to cover their evil tracks, corner more juicy perks or muzzle critics via ‘hate speech’.
Wikipedia defines hate speech as “any statement intended to demean and brutalise another, or the use of cruel and derogatory languag…” It adds that hate speech is one “that attacks a person or a group on the basis of protected attributes….”
One Senator Sabi Abdullahi, representing Niger North Senatorial District, has sponsored a private bill, entitled: “National Commission for prohibition of hate speech bill.” The bill has passed through first reading on the floor of the Red Chamber already. It prescribes, among other things, death by hanging for anyone found guilty of the offence. The lucky ones shall be liable on conviction to an imprisonment for a term not less than ten years, or to a fine of not less than N10 million, or both.
Quite interesting. It is baffling why such a bill was even listed for discussion. I guess the Nigerian senate tries to position itself as one with ‘protected attributes.’ So, it reserves the right to prescribe death for makers of hate speech according to its own definition. Because, going by the true meaning of hate speech, Nigerian politicians should be first on the gallows. As expected, the bill has received flaks from Nigerians, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki. They have kicked against the bill, saying the Cybercrime Act is adequate to deal with hate speech. However, the government seems to be playing with emotion of Nigerians, as sanitising the social media, which other government officials insist on is a euphemism for the hate speech bill.
It is rather saddening that as Nigerians are reeling under the excruciating burden of poverty induced by rapacious politicians, the lawmakers are more concerned with muzzling the people. Nigerians have been groaning and dying in droves or driven to mental homes or suicide due to the choking hardship, but the privileged few chose to ignore this but would rather scheme to gag critics so that they could continue to perpetuate their evil without let. This is a very wicked act and akin to beating a child and asking him not to cry.
The hate speech bill reechoes Decree 4 of the military era in 1984 when, incidentally, President Muhammadu Buhari was head of state. Then, the military junta had the right under the obnoxious decree to jail journalists or critic. The bill is unconstitutional and illegal, as it seeks to curtail Nigerians’ right to freedom of speech. This right is constitutionally guranteed and does not depend on the magnanimity of the senate or government.
To even contemplate that a Nigerian could be hanged because of hate speech is not only an affront on Nigerians but also shows the deplorable worth of the Nigerian life, which government has diminished over the years. Honestly, nobody would have been left to form the All Progressives Congress, APC, government if such a law was even considered pre-2015 when the party and its agents ran the most vicious propaganda against the incumbent government and practically chased it away. It is strange that having succeeded in driving away the overly tolerant government of Goodluck Jonathan, this same APC has bared its fangs against the very instrument it used to ride to power.
There are far mor important things deserving the lawmakers’ attention than the so-called hate speech. For instance, they need to legislate against security votes that is sanctioned corruption. The senate should legislate death sentence for politicians, who fail to fulfill their campaign promises; contractors who fail to execute contracts awarded to them or for shoddy jobs done; senators who collect jumbo pay but fail to show face at plenary or sleep through it the few days they come; government officials who flout court orders or select the one to obey; intolerant security agents, who traumatise Nigerians everyday, even killing some or breaking their limbs; public officials caught in sleaze and other corrupt practices and the judges, who help them to escape justice through perennial questionable adjournments or dismissing cases, citing confusing technicalities; and even philandering men who mess up with hapless women and procure their silence by foul means.
By the way, who can define hate speech? Your (un)educated guess is as good as mine. I beg to shut up here before Abdullahi and his legislative goons arrive.
NAN
