More confusion over bill against falsehood

While it is still battling with scathing criticism, the proposed bill to checkmate propagation of falsehood in the country has, again, run into troubled waters over alleged plagiarism by its sponsor, Senator Muhammad Sani, representing Niger East.

The ‘’Bill for an Act to make provisions for the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations and for related matters, 2019 has since passed second reading.

But Nigerians have been expressing concern over the similarity in content between the bill and an existing Act in Singapore, Prohibition of Communication of False Statements in Singapore.

Senator Sani could not be reached for comments as his line was switched off.

Chairman, Senate Community on Judiciary, Human Rights and other Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, whose committee has been saddled by the Senate to look at the proposed bill for further legislative action could not be reached for comments.

Sponsor of the bill, in an attempt to douse the opposition against it, has consistently argued that it was not an attempt to stifle free speech, but to arrest the growing threats of reckless posts that threaten public harmony and, in some cases, harm individuals.

He said: “This bill is not an attempt to stifle free speech. It is rather an opportunity to address the growing threats which, left unchecked, can cause serious damage in our polity and disrupt peaceful co-existence.

“While the internet has made information possible, the fact remains that it has also been a weapon in the process which is why governments across the world are trying to mitigate the risks associated with information transmission via internet by monitoring abuse and deliberate misconducts.

“One of the disadvantages of the internet is the spread of falsehood and manipulation of unsuspecting users.”