Senator Shehu Sani, in his usual style, has aired his thoughts about the ‘hate speech’ bill many politicians are pushing to be signed into law.
Should this bill be passed, prisons across the country will be filled with bloggers and critics of the government. Sani added that those politicians pushing for the law should know a day will come they will no longer be in power.
Most people in Power are intolerant to criticism and allergic to dissent to be trusted with a capital punishment for Hate speech.The law against Hate speech will be used against free speech.Many critics and social media enthusiasts will end up in the gallows.Our condemned cells in the prisons will be filled with bloggers,critics and perceived political opponents.We must fight Hate speech,Hate speech is a real threat to peace,unity and order of a nation but we must protect free speech.Free speech is the shield of the oppressed.When you have state police and you have capital punishment for Hate speech,you will have tyranny and terror as a state policy.People in power should think twice about what they do with power as someday they will be out of power.A democratic state must balance its security exigencies with its constitutional obligations and moral duty to uphold the rule of law and respect fundamental rights of its citizens.If you are in public office and you don’t want to be criticized or challenged, please dismount and go back to your family where you can be an imperial emperor.
