Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has opposed the death penalty proposed for hate speech offenders by the Senate.
Speaking at the end of the meeting of the governors in Abuja on Wednesday night, NGF vice-chairman and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said that no governor has come out openly to support the death penalty as punishment for defaulters of the Hate Speech bill still in the National Assembly.
Tambuwal, who urged the National Assembly to conduct Public Hearing on the Hate Speech Bill, said that the views of the people must be taken very seriously.
He said,
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“I’m not sure I have heard any governor come out to say he is in support of the death penalty for hate speech.
“I believe that the National Assembly should hold a public hearing on that bill, so that due process of lawmaking is followed.
“This is so that the views of Nigerians, not just the governors, will be well captured on that bill and they (National Assembly) should respect the views of Nigerians in whatever may be the direction of debate and the eventual passage or otherwise of that bill.”
He said,“I believe that the National Assembly should hold a public hearing on that bill, so that due process of lawmaking is followed.
“This is so that the views of Nigerians, not just the governors, will be well captured on that bill and they (National Assembly) should respect the views of Nigerians in whatever may be the direction of debate and the eventual passage or otherwise of that bill.”
Quote
“Various state governments have been engaging with their branches of the Nigeria Labour Congress, I’m sure it is a work in progress.
“Before December, all the states must have finished working out the details on the issue of the minimum wage across the federation.
“We are very much committed to the welfare and well-being of our workforce and therefore, we shall continue to ensure that we do our best on what needs to be done.”
At the meeting, the governors committed to working with the Independent Verification Agent to ensure that the APA process did not experience delay.“Before December, all the states must have finished working out the details on the issue of the minimum wage across the federation.
“We are very much committed to the welfare and well-being of our workforce and therefore, we shall continue to ensure that we do our best on what needs to be done.”
The forum, among other resolutions, also expressed commitment to the initiative to advance value added activities in agriculture, access to finance and women economic development.
The Senate, had on Tuesday last week, introduced the hate speech bill, which among others, prescribed death by hanging as the maximum punishment for certain categories of offenders.
The bill, which is being sponsored by a former Senate spokesperson, who is now the Deputy Senate Whip, Sabi Abdullahi, passed first reading on the floor of the Red Chamber on November 13. It is titled, ‘National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech (Estb.etc) Bill, 2019’.
Abdullahi had sponsored a similar bill in the 8th Senate, but it could not survive the second reading due to overwhelming opposition and criticisms from civil society groups and the media.
Besides the death penalty, offenders are liable to a 10-year jail term or risk N10m fine, especially, those who stir ethnic hatred by their speeches.
The Nigerian Bar Association, civil rights groups and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had kicked against the bill.
The NBA National Publicity Secretary, Kunle Edun, had cautioned the Senate to “tread carefully” with the bill.
He had said, “We, therefore, strongly advise that the Senate should tread carefully on this bill.“Section 39(3) of the Constitution makes it mandatory that no law can abrogate the rights of Nigerians to exercise their right to freedom of speech, except if such a law can be reasonably justified in a democratic society. ‘Can a hate bill be reasonably justified in a democratic society?”
But the Senate disowned the bill on Monday, saying it was an idea of the sponsor, Abdullahi. The Niger State senator said he had received threat messages over the bill.
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