THE Nigerian government, specifically the legislative arm, has done wonders by proposing the social media bill which a lot of Nigerians are speaking against, ironically mostly on various social media platforms, with the hash tag #saynotothesocial media bill. Nigeria is a country that is said to be practicing democracy, but the smell of plutocracy and totalitarianism seems to be lurking in the shady corners of the government. Going back to ancient Greece, you’ll see that Socrates suffered in the hands of the Athenian state because of something of this nature. Hence, Plato and Aristotle classified democracy as the most lawless of all lawful governments. If we truly are practicing a democratic system of government, and democracy we know comes with a lot of criticism in order to checkmate the power of representatives, the legislature should expect critics from every angle. If they can’t handle critics, then they are not fit for the position. Taking Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy, “Government of the people by the people and for the people.”
The history of this bill dates back to 2015 when it was first considered but failed due to public outcry. In that same year, the cybercrimes law was enacted and Mr. Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of SahaharaReporters, and others were charged under this law. In November 2019, the Nigerian Senate reintroduced the hate speech bill, which now seems to have been fused with the social media bill and it has been a topic of debate since. The social media bill, like the hate speech bill, is another infringement on freedom of expression. Apart for the fact that the proponent of this bill should be sued for plagiarism because it is the exact replica of Singapore’s social media act, supporters of the bill need to rethink their position. The bill states that it “prohibits statements on social media deemed likely to be prejudicial to national security and those that may diminish public confidence in the Nigerian government.”
Corruption has eaten deep into the heart of the country. Citizens can’t express themselves freely because of threats. Consider what happened when the legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, attacked this corrupt acts of the government. Idris Abdul-Kareem did the same, with his song Nigeria Jaga Jaga, and his entire career was shut down. Well, the media is the fourth estate of the realm, that is, after the three arms of government. Its information, entertainment and education roles are important in every society. In this generation of media convergence that encourages citizen journalism, the social media is an active participant in this trend. If the bill is signed, in way or the other, the lawmakers would have tampered with a substantial democratic principle. It will put a limit to our freedom of expression that is protected by international law. Now, how are we sure that this isn’t a trick to clampdown any opposition to the ruling party? Criticism is part and parcel of politics but here, the government is planning to silence its critics.
Isn’t it clear enough that if the bill is passed, they’ve automatically registered fear in the heart of citizens? If anything happens, how do we contribute to debate on it? How do we make our opinions known? If we are living in fear of what we say on social media being tagged “fake” or ”hateful,” and can be imprisoned or fined, then democracy is under threat.
Of a truth, there should be some measures to checkmate the kinds of information in circulation circulated on the social media. The bill would therefore have made sense if the government cannot take it as an opportunity to cover up for misconduct. And social media, being one of the little ways citizens have power, is undergoing a gradual process of withdrawal from us citizens. My fear is that the country is gradually moving into a military-style regime.
- Ologbenla is a student of Babcock University, Ogun State.