MEMBERS of the National Assembly have been charged to stop action on the social media and hate speech bills currently before them and concentrate on matters that will be of benefit to the masses.
The Amir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in Nigeria, Alhaji Abdul Azeez Alatoye, gave the charge while addressing a press conference on the forthcoming Jalsa Salana (annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community).
According to Alatoye, there is no need for a new regulation to deal with hate speech since there are already laws that take care of the matter.
“There are enough extant laws in the Nigerian constitution that adequately take care of these two bills. At present, we have libel law and defamation, cybercrime law and other criminal laws that can effectively accommodate any misdemeanor on the use of social media platforms and extreme comments capable of inflaming passions and causing disunity in the country,” Alatoye, a lawyer, said.
He called on the National Assembly to channel its efforts into making laws that will improve the lot of Nigerians.
The Ahmadiyya leader said the Jalsa Salana would be coming up in Ilaro, Ogun State, between December 20 and 22.
According to him, the annual gathering was instituted by the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, in 1891, in Qadian, India.
This year’s Jalsa Salana will focus on the Holy Qur’an Chapter 16 verse 126 which says, “Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, thy Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows those who are rightly guided”.
Prominent guests expected at this year’s event are President Muhammadu Buhari; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila; the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, his deputy, Alhaja Naimot Salako-Oyedele; the Osun State governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and the Lagos State deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.
Other dignitaries expected at the event are the Emir of Kano, the Etsu of Nupe, the Obong of Calabar, the Olu of Ilaro, the Akirun of Ikirun and the Olota of Ota.
Alatoye – who took over from Dr Mashuud Fashola who served for 15 years – identified the benefits of the gathering to include spiritual uplift, inculcation of morals and opportunity to offer prayers for the development of the nation and individuals.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at started in Nigeria in 1916 and has been at the forefront of the delivery of humanitarian services in the areas of education, health and general wellbeing as well as campaign for religious tolerance.