Hate Speech: Caution your followers on Facebook, Twitter, CITAD tells PDP, APC

The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State to caution its members and followers on Facebook and Twitter to desist from act of hate speech, saying their activities led to violent attack on people during the just concluded governorship election.

Addressing a press conference on Yenagoa, the Coordinator of the Countering Hate Speech Project of CITAD, Mr Hamza Ibrahim, said that its observatory team tracked and documented a total number of 387 hate and dangerous speech instances on the social media before during and after the just concluded November 16th governorship election in the state.

Explaining further, he said the hate speech items were tracked on two social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, saying out the 387 of the captured speeches instances, 32 per cent were ethnic-based and 26 per cent election-related unlike in the recent past where hate speeches were religious-based.

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He said: “Before and during the gubernatorial election period here in Bayelsa was polluted with hateful electioneering leading to the rampant usage of derogatory remarks and comments by members of the two main contending political parties APC and PDP particularly on social media platforms and campaign rallies.

“We want to specifically draw the attention of the entire people of Bayelsa to the dangers and consequences of hate speech and therefore urge that they give neither engage in or accommodate hate speech on social media platforms. We appeal to governor-elect of Bayelsa, Chief David Lyon and Douye Diri as well as their party chairpersons to strongly caution their followers against hate speech particularly in the pages or groups of their parties on Facebook.”

Concerning the Hate Speech Bill that is before the National Assembly, CITAD said it was totally against the bill because it’s intent is not sincere and undemocratic, urging Nigerians to resist the attempt by the National Assembly to pass it into law.

“Legislations don’t solve hate speech rather it is education and enlightenment of the people that solve it. That law if signed into law would oppose the section that guarantees freedom of speech in the 1999 Constitution as amended,” he added.