Anti-Hate Speech Bill: Senate Under Attack

By Bimbo Ogunnaike

The Senate under the leadership of Ahmed Lawan has been under attacks over the hate speech bill sponsored by Senator Sabi Abdullahi.

It was gathered that Senator Sabi Abdullahi representing Niger North Senatorial district, on Tuesday sponsored a private bill to tackle hate speeches and other social media related contents, considered antagonistic to the interest of Nigerian society.

The bill titled: “National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches (Est., etc) bill, 2019 (SB. 154)” passed its first reading on Tuesday.

The introduction of hate speech bill has since been met with backlash from Nigerians and lawmakers.

Former vice- president, Atiku Abubakar described the hate speech bill sponsored by  Abdullahi as an ‘abuse of the legislative process that will violate Nigerians’ constitutionally guaranteed right to Freedom of Speech.

The former presidential spokesman on his Twitter page wrote: “They haven’t passed laws to hang killer herdsmen, they haven’t passed laws to hang Boko Haramist (they FREE ‘repentant’ Boko Haram)

“If the Nigerian Senate bows to pressure and passes this anti hate speech bill, be it known to them that it was the law General Obasanjo’s government passed in 1976 that Abacha used to sentence Obj to death in 1995.

“This law, if passed, will one day come back to haunt them!”