Withdraw Hate Speech Bill Now – TheNigerialawyer

* Says bill will be counterproductive, conflicts with
fundamental human rights

Renowned senior lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Wole
Olanipekun has advised the National Assembly (NASS) not to pass a
Hate Speech bill currently under consideration, declaring that such
a bill is not only counterproductive but conflicts with fundamental
human rights principles.

Olanipekun, who noted that it was unfortunate that such a bill
had emanated from the NASS, said it was a pity federal lawmakers
even dared to give it a thought. The lawyer also warned that the
Hate Speech bill will create bad blood and disunity among
Nigerians. He expressed the fear that those making such a bill now
may fall victims of its penalties later.

Olanipekun spoke at the weekend in his country home in Ikere, at
Ikere Local Government of Ekiti State, during his annual
scholarship awards for over a hundred indigent but brilliant
Nigerian students, through his Wole Olanipekun Foundation.

The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)
enjoined legislators to, rather than initiate problematic pieces of
legislation like the Hate Speech bill, concentrate on sponsoring
bills that would cushion the effects of “insecurity, poor
education, hardship and bad roads” that plague the country.

“Let me, first of all, say this that I am happy to note that it
is not an Executive bill. You know you can have an Executive bill,
Members’ Bill or Private bill. This bill is being initiated from or
by the NASS. I am happy because the bill didn’t originate from the
Presidency. I think we are mixing a lot of things up. People
commenting that Buhari wants to gag the press. I do not agree with
them because the bill did not come from the Presidency. But it is
unfortunate that it is coming from the NASS,” Olanipekun
observed.

“We have a lot of problems in Nigeria that we need laws to
cushion their effect; we need laws that will cushion the effect of
hardship, poverty, education, insecurity, bad roads and all of
that.

“As an elder statesman, let me advise the NASS to be more
productive, let us stop chasing vanity and things that are
counterproductive. To me as a lawyer, as an elder, this bill will
be counter productive. The bill will bring disunity even among
family members. We should not bring disunity. Wife and husband
disagree, and if such happens, will you report your spouse for Hate
Speech?

“Others are moving forward, we are stuck here. In other climes,
people are thinking of how to transform their countries in 100
years time. I was in Britain a couple of weeks ago, and in a
newspaper article it was reported that what [Former Labour Party
Prime Minister Tony] Blair had put up some 20 years ago had began
to materialise. And what was it? The Labour government under Blair
came to the realisation that the enrollment of young people in
school had gone below 20% and the government initiated an idea of
getting young men in school by making their major priority
education, and now 20 years after, the percentage has risen to 57.
That is the kind of thing we should celebrate, not some laws that
are counterproductive.

“My little knowledge of law will not open my eyes to the
definition of Hate Speech. In the law of defamation, we have libel
and slander and vulgar abuse. And they would tell you vulgar abuse
is not actionable, we are all human beings, we all have emotions,
everyman has his own lull moment,” Olanipekun explained.

“Sociology makes us to understand that everyone has a moment of
momentary madness, an insane period of man. It might even be a
transfered aggression.

“Let us caution ourselves in this country, and my fear is that
those who make the law might become victims of such law. It is
going to be a vicious cycle. The politicians, what do they do at
the soap boxes, they engage in Hate Speech and abuse themselves
irrespective of their political alliances. They should rather tell
us what would benefit Nigerians in the soap box not spreading Hate
Speech. They are the purveyors of Hate Speech.

“We have gotten to a stage where in Nigeria we have to speak to
ourselves. Even God says to humanity: ‘come let us reason
together’

“We must be cautious. Where do we start, where do we progress?
What exactly is Hate Speech? It is something that will have a
beginning but will not have an end. First, they were proposing
capital punishment, goodness me! Such punishment is outdated, how
many governors have been able to sign the documents of many people
in death sentence? I was Attorney general in old Ondo State and
even in Ekiti, none of the governors could sign death [sentences]
we them even though we had many on such row. You see chief judges
of various states going to release prisoners and you are talking of
death sentence?

“Please, they should respect the sanctity of human life. Nigeria
is not in the stone age. We have laws that have taken care of all
offences in Nigeria. Rights are inalienable, you can’t take rights
away. It is not a question of adjustment but a question of, we are
all human beings we can err. It is only God that is perfect. Let
them withdraw the bill.

“Whether they amend it or not, it will conflict with the
principles of fundamental human rights.

“No review, no amendment, but they should withdraw it
outrightly. We will forgive them if they show that they err. We
will understand that they are also human beings who can also err.
Many governors have condemned the bill, and that is civilization.
Everybody knows what is good. Everybody also values the sanctity of
life. It is not a question of if it is APC, PDP or APGA. it is a
question of what is not good is not good. It is a pity that the
NASS even gave it a thought in the first place,” he said.

SAEMA 2019: Army, Air Force, Police, others Compete for
Excellence

…18 winners to emerge in the maiden award

… 254 entries, 136 nominees, 54 finalists

The Nigerian military and Intelligence services, paramilitary,
Police and emergency agencies will be competing for the Maiden
Security and Emergency Management Award (SAEMA).

The Awards is an annual event envisioned to celebrate excellence
in security and response agencies with a view to creating a
resilient and professional approach in the management of security
and Emergency situations in Nigeria.

Headed by the Chairman West African region of The International
Emergency Management Society (TIEMS), Air Vice-Marshal Mohammed
Audu-Bida (Rtd), the Panel of Jury has streamlined the forthcoming
awards to 54 finalists of deserving institutions, groups,
individuals, officers and personnel.

Audu-Bida who was a former Director-General of the National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said it took a painstaking
effort for the Panel to prune down the list from its original 254
entries with 136 nominees selected and further reduced to 54
finalists while the 18 winners will only be announced at the
event.

He said: “The 54 finalists will receive Certificates of
Excellence for performing excellently, while 18 Winners among them
will be announced at the event to receive the trophies for the 18
categories of the awards.

“Some of the Categories include awards for Humanitarian
Services, Crime-Fighting, Emergency Journalism, Cybercrime
Prevention, Gallantry, Law Enforcement, Intelligence Service,
Emergency Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Public
Information, Training Institute, Community Service, Volunteer
Group, Civil Military Relations, Crisis Manager, Private Security,
Military and security officers of the year.

SAEMA which comes up on December 5, 2019, at NICON Luxury Hotel
Abuja will have the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster
Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umaru Faruk, as the
Special Guest of honour, while the Keynote Speaker and Executive
Vice Chairman of Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), Professor
Umar Garba Dambatta will focus on the theme: “Leveraging on
Emergency Communication Centres for National Security.”

The event is organized by Emergency Digest, a publication of
Image Merchants Promotion Limited in collaboration with the Centre
for Crisis Communication and CISLAC.

Other members of the Jury include: Mr. Chidi Omeje of the Centre
for Crisis Communication, Mr. Hashim Salahudeen of Civil Society
Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mohammed Usman, a retired
security operative, Mal. Ahmed Maiyaki, a developmental expert,
Senator Iroegbu of PRNigeria^[1]
and Shittu Yunus Shittu of the Emergency Digest.

By PRNigeria^[2]