"I laughed in Wazobia as I read that Senate is enacting a Social Media
Act. Let all those who know it is 'IMPOSSICANT' join me to LoL, biko!'
Oby Ezekwesili blasts legislators in explosive Tweets...
Co-founder of Transparency International and a former minister, Oby
Ezekwesili, on Friday said the attempts by the Nigerian legislators at
the National Assembly to muzzle free speech through an anti-social law
would be futile.
In her reaction via Twitter, Ezekwesili scoffed at the proposed law
and said it would be impossible to enact. See her Tweets below;
It can be recalled that earlier this week, Nigeria’s senators moved a bill designed to muzzle free speech on social media.
The draft bill to "Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Matters Connected Therewith"
specifically targets users of social and electronic media and has
passed a second reading. It is now due to go to committee, where it will
be further studied.
If passed into law, it will restrict freedom of expression, stifle
the vibrant discourse that goes on social media which is relatively free
from the reins economic influences that sometimes gag mainstream media.
The draft bill, sponsored by Bala Ibn Na’Allah, seeks to criminalize two types of conduct.
First, it proposes a sentence of up to seven years in prison or a five million naira fine (US$25,000) 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.”
Second, it seeks to criminalize anyone disseminating via text message, Twitter, WhatsApp, or any other form of social media an “abusive
statement” intending to “set the public against any person and group of
persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established
by law”.
The penalty for this is up to two years in prison or a N2 million fine (about US$10,000), or both.
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