President Atiku Abubakar. Photo: Channels TV/ Sodiq
Adelakun.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned
the fined of N5 million imposed on a Lagos-based radio state – 99.3
FM Nigeria Info by the National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC).
In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, he asked the
NBC to drop the penalty against the station, describing the reason
given for its action as an attempt to gag the media in the
country.
The former vice president disagreed with the nation’s
broadcasting regulatory agency with its argument that the interview
that the station had with a former Deputy Governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailafia, constituted any
infringement and exposed the media outfit to trading in hate
speech.
He argued that whether or not, what Mailafia during the
programme aired on the radio station was a false claim, it was not
the responsibility of the NBC to impose a sanction for a comment
made by an individual.
Atiku stressed that the former CBN deputy governor had been
quizzed and released by law enforcement agents, adding that they
were at liberty to prosecute him in court if they were not
satisfied with his explanations.
He insisted that it was wrong to make a scapegoat of the media
platform which provides opportunities for citizens to ventilate
their views.
READ ALSO: NBC Fines Radio Station N5m For
Unprofessional Broadcast
The former vice president also called on the NBC to review the
hate speech prohibition code, saying the interpretation of same was
offensive to the notion of free speech
Read the full statement by the former vice president
below:
We are compelled to react to the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission
code concerning infringement on hate speech and the operational
style that media houses should employ to conform with the new
regulation.While there is no disputation over the fact that hate speech
portends an existential threat to the enterprise of journalistic
reporting and, in fact, inhibits the workings for a free society,
it is absolutely repugnant that powers that be would
instrumentalise the prevention of hate speech as a means of
constricting free speech.It is globally acknowledged that one of the core functions of
the mass media is to inform the society on all ranges of issues,
not even to the exclusion of national security issues.The mass media has a role to play in ensuring that all possible
shades of opinions are given access to the media platform.In many advanced democracies the world over, criminals on even
wanted lists of law enforcement agencies have reached out to the
media to express their opinions about the crimes that they had
perpetrated and the media space was not denied to them.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});As a matter of fact, it seems somewhat contradictory that a
country like ours, which is in the throes of national security
skirmishes, would choose to shrink media access to critical
information.It is not known if any society had won the war against terrorism
by placing a restriction to access to information, in the way the
NBC had done.In a particular reference to the penalty handed down to the
operators of 99.3 FM Nigeria Info, we disagree wholeheartedly with
the argument of the NBC that the interview that the station had
with Dr Obadiah Mailafia constitutes any infringement or if at all
it exposes the station to trading in hate speech.Whether or not what Dr Mailafia said on the radio station was a
false claim, it is outside of the objectives of a responsible
regulatory framework to sanction a radio station for a comment an
individual made, more so that the personality in question, Dr
Obadiah, had been quizzed and released by law enforcement
agents.If for any reason the authorities are not satisfied with his
explanations, they are at liberty to prosecute him in court, but
not to make a scapegoat of the media platform that provides
opportunities for citizens to ventilate their views.The claim by the management of NBC that “this (the penalty) is
expected to serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in
Nigeria who are quick to provide platform for subversive rhetorics
and expositions of spurious and unverifiable claims, to desist from
such”, is a naked attempt to gag the media in Nigeria.We, therefore, call on the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
to cause a review of the hate speech prohibition code because the
very interpretation of same is offensive to the notion of free
speech which is an essential ingredient of participatory democracy
that Nigeria operates.We also demand of the NBC to drop the penalty against the
operators of 99.3 Nigeria Info FM on account of the fact that the
penalty is at best ill-thought out.Lastly, we want to refresh the memories of the generality of
Nigerians that the Nigerian media has been in the frontline of the
vanguard in the fight against military rule and restoration of a
democratic order. In other words, it is very disappointing that
under the watch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the media
is, yet again, being targeted for extermination.Atiku Media Office
Abuja
13th August 2020
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/14/nbc-n5m-fine-a-naked-attempt-to-gag-the-media-atiku/
- Virtual- Procceding: VP Osinbajo wants Purpose-built
Software for Virtual Trail
…With tech innovation, democratization of law and justice now on
fast-track”
Technology and the innovations it entail has defined a new way
of life, taking technology away from the realms of luxury into the
arena of everyday endeavours whether in the professions or in
matters of lifestyle generally.
In fact, the advance of technology is now fast-tracking the
democratization of law and justice in Nigeria, according to Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Thursday in his keynote at the
Virtual Law Pavilion Technology Conference with the theme “A New
Paradigm in Justice Delivery”. Also at the event, the Chief Justice
of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed; the President of the
Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN, and others addressed the
theme of the 2020 Legal Tech Conference.
According to him, “No one believed the day would come when the
Supreme Court would, as it has now done, endorse Virtual Court
Proceedings. Or that the day will come when e-filing of court
processes will be considered medically safer than physical filing
of court processes.
“Today, even judges, especially older ones, will of course
prefer virtual processes to in-person proceedings. Technology and
the fourth industrial revolution, are no longer luxuries but they
are the inevitable substructure of our new way of life.
“For the administration of justice system, change has surely
come and I am personally excited to see how easily our entire
judicial system is willingly adapting to innovation.”
Speaking further on the impact of technology, the Vice President
said with technology and innovation, the democratization of law and
justice is now on fast-track.
According to him, “Tech companies must now innovate even more.
We must now have purpose-built virtual-proceedings software that
take into account the various needs of trials and other court
proceedings.
“There will be opportunities for retraining of judicial
personnel, lawyers, and paralegal staff, the new normal calls for
new skills and new ways of doing old things and doing away with
many old habits.”
On the need for the entirety of Nigeria’s justice sector to
embrace “the new normal”, the Vice President said though no one had
predicted that a time would come when authorities would endorse
virtual court proceedings, the disruptions caused by the COVID-19
pandemic has necessitated the adoption of technology for all court
processes.
Referring to the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the event, the Vice
President noted that “already, my Lord, the Chief Justice has set
the example of adaptation to the new paradigm.”
Prof. Osinbajo urged lawyers and stakeholders in the justice
sector to be prepared for the times ahead by finding alternative
and better ways of delivering legal and associated services.
He said “the next few years will see even more changes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a bigger role in our court
systems, I am told that Law Pavilion is already pioneering an
AI-Powered-Speech-to-Text- Transcription System to replace writing
in long hand and even the traditional slow stenographic
recording.
“There is also the AI-Powered Document Review System that helps
judges quickly extract authorities and laws cited in any legal
documents, outlines and analyses the principles relied upon
automatically, in seconds. This is aside from the comprehensive
court proceedings software that they have now perfected.”
Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “…nothing can ever be the same
again. Legal practice is also in a flux. Artificial Intelligence
will make research a million times faster, the lawyer may no longer
be required for several categories of legal advice.
“There are already apps updated to the latest positions in
legislation and case law. The lawyer must become a
multi-disciplinary, multi-tasking tech savvy person of affairs,”
recalling a description he gave to students of law at a recent
function.
He restated the commitment of the Buhari administration to
support technology companies to drive the gradual shift of systems,
in the country, to the ‘new normal’.
In his contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice
Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed said the judiciary which plays a crucial
role in the economic development of Nigeria, must embrace changes
within the environment so that it will continue to remain relevant
in the scheme of things.
The Legal Tech Conference is organized by the Law Pavilion in
partnership with TELNET Nigeria Ltd. The conference is a 2-day
virtual event featuring other speakers including Supreme Court
Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola; Ondo State Chief Judge, Olarenwaju
Olutoyin Akeredolu; Borno State Chief Judge, Kashima Zannah; Ekiti
State Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Olawale Fapohunda;
and Mr Dapo Akinosun, Partner, SimmonsCooper, amongst others..
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media &
Publicity
Office of the Vice President
13th August, 2020