Senate may drop social media bill as pressure mounts, groups insist Nigerians risk being jailed over law

Indications have emerged that the Senate may jettison the Protection from Internet Falsehoods, Manipulations and Other Related Matters Bill it has been debating since last year

During public hearing on the bill, also tagged, “Anti-Social Media Bill” at the National Assembly, the picture became clearer that the Senate could not continue with the Bill following the volume of criticisms it had attracted.

The opposition to the Bill became so much that its sponsor Sani Musa, left the 022 venues of the public hearing.

Having noticed that his disappearance was causing some embarrassment, Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Bamidele Opeyemi, offered some explanations, saying Musa had some other legislative assignments to handle and so, he had to leave.

Even before Senate President Ahmad Lawan declared the public hearing open, senators had become divided for and against the Bill even as Opeyemi informed the gathering dominated by those against the Bill that there was no common position among the legislators.

From submissions at the public hearing, none spoke in favour of the Bill apart from the Army, which sought to be enlisted as one of the enforcers of the Bill when passed.

Ceaseless shouts of disapproval marked the presentation of Major General Solomon Udoma, who represented the Chief of Army Staff, General Yusuf Buratai in presenting the Army position to the committee.

Among the most hated provisions of the Bill is the one that stipulates a fine of N5m against offenders who fail to comply with an order of Police to correct force statement.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the hearing argued that the Bill was unnecessary and that it would only serve the interest of few to the detriment of majority of Nigerians.

The Bill, they said will not only infringe on human rights, but the way it was structured would violate human rights and freedom of speech.

Head of Civil Society Organisation Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo declared, “This Bill is completely unnecessary and should be discountenanced.”

Speaking, a former Presidential Candidate, Omoyele Sowore charged the committee to look closely at the definition of falsehood and determine if the Bill was well-intended to protect the people or the government.

At that point, Opeyemi interrupted him saying, “I am not going to stop you, but let me reiterate the fact that you need to be mindful of the language.”

In opposing the bill, the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), said it sought to pigeon-hole Nigerians as its President, Christopher Isiguzo said that it was worse than Coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Concerned Nigerians have warned of the dangers inherent in enacting the Social Media Bill currently before the National Assembly, saying its passage will endanger the lives of Nigerians, silence dissenting opinions and remove citizens’ freedom of expression.

Leader of the group, Deji Adeyanju, in a statement said with the passage of the bill, the Federal Government would have the powers to jail anyone it considered as a threat.

He said: “This government had always wanted to restrict social media since it came to power. It all started in 2015 when they introduced an anti-social media bill through a proxy tagged “Frivolous Petitions (Prohibition) Bill 2015” then in 2016 during the Eighth National Assembly, but we and several other members of the civil society got it axed with the help of a more patriotic Senate and through protests and online advocacy.

“The irony of this bill is that those who are opposing the use of social media today used the same medium to get to power in 2015.”