There has been a recent uproar over the the Hate Speech Bill which has passed its second reading in the Senate. The violation of this bill if it is passed could result in a death sentence.

Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, shared his position on the Hate Speech Bill: “I am surprised that this bill has resurfaced. There is no basis for this now. We are developing; we should be allowed to develop. If we make mistakes people can be cautioned. If somebody goes off you have the right to call him to say, ‘no, we don’t want this.’

“Unless people are able to express themselves, those in government or in authority will not know what is happening in the country.”

“If somebody makes hate speech, put him in the gallows and not shoot him. It is crude and out of tune with the 21st century reality. It could have happened, may be some 300 years ago, but not now.”


“But today, the country is better for it (media),” he said.
He challenged the media to remain strong and focused on what Nigerians wants, maintaining that the nation can only succeed if we allow unfettered freedom without death threat or N10 million fine, which he said sounded silly.

A leader of the protest the bill, Henry Shield, also admonished lawmakers for not adopting “progressive bills” like the healthcare bill of the United States and other bills of note that would address the challenges facing Nigerians.

“We insist that the monstrous social media bill and its evil hate speech counterpart have no place in any democratic society, let alone a fledgling democracy like ours. We believe that the bills are satanic and must be totally withdrawn by the ninth Senate with immediate effect.

“As constituents and citizens alike, we believe that the proposed bills suggest that you lawmakers are anti-people and unwilling to either understand the sufferings of Nigerians or even take any meaningful step to mitigate them.

“We, therefore, hope that you will listen to the unanimous voice of Nigerians that these bills have no place in our democracy and must be forever banished to the trash can.”

Do you think this bill is infringin on the human rights of Nigerians?