Skip to main content

Hate Crime Bill: A Senate Of Fools, Blockheads, Ignoramuses And Idiots By Bayo Oluwasanmi

Bayo Oluwasanmi

 

Nigeria’s Senate is one of fools, blockheads, Ignoramuses, and idiots.

Yes, of course I know this description of Nigerian Senate by a Nigerian is offensive to some, maybe more than some people. Nonetheless, it is true. The Senate is made up of callous, indifferent, stupid fools, who keep silent in the face of tyranny while Nigerians are dying every day.

What do you expect from a Senate of fools, blockheads, ignoramuses, and idiots whose membership is made up of 99.99 per cent thieves, crooks, and rogues than to waste our resources on a bill that will make hate crime punishable by death.

The hate speech bill is resurrection of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ancient Decree 4. Buhari as military dictator was widely unpopular for his Decree 4. Decree 4 was a draconian piece of legislation that allowed Buhari and military leaders to imprison any journalist, who embarrassed them. The hate speech bill is a nebulous bill aimed at muzzling the press and civil society.

Let me remind the blockhead senators that there is no need for the hate speech bill because we have enough laws to deal with hate speech crimes. I invite them to read sections 59-60, 373-381 of the Criminal Code (applicable to the Southern states) and sections 391-40, 417-418 of the Penal Code (applicable in the Northern states). The Cyber Crime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 enacted by the National Assembly deals with the use of social media to promote bigotry and hatred in society.

The hate speech bill will restrict or abridge free speech of Nigerians. It’s a bill based on viewpoint, an egregious form of content discrimination, which is unconstitutional. The constitution does not entrust freedom of speech to the benevolence of Buhari or senators or any government official.

The hate speech bill sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Sabi Aliyu (Niger North) prescribes death by hanging for anyone found guilty of hate speech. The bill will create the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech. The bill passed first reading in the Senate on Tuesday.

If hate speech law was enacted between 2012 and 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that “blood of dogs and baboons will flow” after losing three presidential elections, would have earned him death sentence. Same goes for the Kaduna midget, who called for body bags for foreign observers during the 2015 elections. Lai Mohammed and other All Progressives Congress’ leaders would not have escaped the guillotine.

The campaign mounted by Buhari and senators to enact a law on hate speech is a deflection from serious national issues that cry for urgent solutions viz: restructure, job creation, security, hunger, healthcare, infrastructure, housing, criminal justice. And many more. The hate speech law won’t fly... bring it on!

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Bayo Oluwasanmi Disable advertisements : 

from All Content
via

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dust haze weather to prevail on Thursday, December 27

- The Nigerian Meteorological agency (NiMet) predicts thick dust haze weather conditions over most parts of the country - NiMet predicts northern states would experience dust haze - The agency also predicts early morning mist/fog is expected over the coastal cities The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thick dust haze weather conditions with reduced visibility over most parts of the country on Thursday, December 27. NiMet’s Weather Outlook on Wednesday, December 26, in Abuja, revealed that the central region of the country would record dust haze condition with visibility range of two to five kilometres throughout the day. It added that day and night temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius, respectively, would prevail over the region. READ ALSO: Police reportedly arrest Badeh’s alleged killers The agency predicted that the northern states would experience dust haze with visibility range of two to fi...
Post a Comment
Read more

N2.5bn Fraud: You Have Case To Answer, Appeal Court Tells Suspended NBC Boss, Kawu

The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Ishaq Kawu. The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed an appeal filed by the suspended Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr Moddibbo Kawu, challenging the decision of the Federal High Court, to dismiss the no-case submission he filed at the lower court. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had charged Kawu, Lucky Omoluwa (late Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd) and Dipo Onifade, Chief Operating Officer of the same company, before Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, on a 12-count charge of money laundering. Is'haq Modibbo Kaw THISDAYLIVE The suspended NBC boss and his co-accused then approached the appellate court to reverse the judgment of the Federal High Court. The appellate dismissed the no-case submission filed by Kawu and his co-accused and held that they had an explanation to give when he elected to facilitate the payment of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Buhari’s Legacy Of Recessions By Fredrick Nwabufo

Fredrick Nwabufo ‘Why always Buhari?’ As it was in 1984 under General Buhari, so it is in 2016 and 2020 under President Buhari? Is it by the unfortunate hands of kismet that recession hits Nigeria every time Buhari takes charge of the country’s affairs? If the recession of the 80s under Buhari was a conspiracy by economic and political factors, to what do we attribute that of his first coming as a civilian President — and now in his second coming? Why does pestilence scourge the land, hunger ravage the population and lives lost malevolently when Buhari presides over the country? Why always Buhari? Buhari’s undoing is his wonted predilection for hierarchising ethnicity, religion and loyalty above competence. Since 1999, no President has obtrusively shown a more nepotistic aspect than Buhari. It is unarguable that the President arrays the most competence-challenged cabinet ever in the chronicle of governance in Nigeria. Yes, a recession cabinet. Fredrick Nwabufo Here is a cabin...
Post a Comment
Read more