President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the criticism trailing a bill aimed at gagging social media in the country. The bill has scaled the crucial second reading in the Senate.
President Buhari said he would not assent to any legislation that is inconsistent with the constitution of Nigeria.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to the protection of free speech in line with democratic best practices.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari assured that he swore to defend the Nigerian constitution and would not lend his hand to anything that is inconsistent with the document.
Shehu explained that President Buhari is fully aware of the public reservations about the proposed legislation but assured that there is no cause for alarm “because the Senate is a democratic Senate. The president won’t assent to any legislation that may be inconsistent with the constitution.”
“As a key component of democratic principles,” the president acknowledged that people in democratic societies “are so emotionally attached to free speech that they would defend it with all their might.”
In his reaction, National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Waheed Odusile, assured that the media would not allow the social media bill before the National Assembly to become law.
Delivering a lecture entitled: “Nigeria Beyond Oil “ as part of the 2015 Press Week of NUJ, Oyo State Council held in Ibadan yesterday, Odusile said the social media bill could be likened to the controversial Decree 4 of 1983, meant to gag the press.
Odusile said: “It is a law targeted at restricting freedom of expression. I am imploring our (NUJ) state councils to submit petitions at their respective state assemblies. We should also register our grievances at our respective governor’s offices.”
Culled from The Sun
No comments:
Post a Comment