The Online Publishers Association (OPA) says the bill for an “Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other matters connected therewith” is evidence that the Senate is idle and so, warned the lawmakers not to threaten our democratic freedoms.
The association condemned the motivation, process and purpose of the bill, which passed its second reading in the Senate in a record eight days and is now set for public hearing.
In a statement by Olufemi Awoyemi, its President, OPA restated its stand with the Nigerian people against the will of the Senate. “We align with the Nigerian public in describing this action by the Nigerian Senate as pure idleness, and an abandonment of the electoral mandate to focus on laws for good governance to deliver increased welfare for the people,” the statement reads.
“The Senate is seeking instead to restrict the scope of human freedoms, growth of new platforms of social interaction and public accountability.”
The group, currently engaging the Senate via a protest march organized by the Freedom of Information Coalition in Nigeria in Abuja, branded the proposed bill a reminiscence of the infamous Decree 4 of 1984.
“The proposed bill immediately reminds the general public of the infamous Decree 4 of 1984 passed under military rule; one that took away our freedoms.
“The continuous attempt at gagging members of the public was again re-enacted in 2011, when the Senate attempted to pass a bill by another APC Senator; for which ironically, the current members of the Senate stepped down after extensive public outcry. This appears therefore to be an ongoing project in the Nigerian Senate.”
OPA emphasized that the bill is seeking to negate Chapter IV Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides for freedom of speech, highlighting laws guiding Internet use. “There are laws in other jurisdictions guiding internet use from which we can learn useful lessons. Examples include the Computer Misuse Act (1990) –UK; Electronic Commerce Regulations (2000) – UK; Electronic Communications Act, 1999 – Australia; Electronic Transactions Act, 1999 – Australia and measures on the administration of Internet Information Services, 2001 – China.
“They are two different issues. While the emphasis on affidavits seeks to tie the hands of the petitioner with a threat of perjury, the extension violates basic human rights, and runs counter to the letter and spirit of certain extant laws: The mischief that the lawmaker seeks to address in this regard is however already taken care of by other extant laws, to wit: the laws on libel and defamation.”
OPA said the people expect government to control offensive or dangerous media and communications, whether old or new, but not to shield dubious, corrupt and fraudulent conduct of public officials.
“Instead of seeing censorship as an untoward governmental intrusion into a domain of legitimate private choice, we believe a more constructive engagement with key stakeholders can elevate the subject to the domain of public interest and help guide an ill-informed Senate towards more enlightened direction.
“In pushing ahead with this bill, the Nigerian Senate has only succeeded in representing itself as a threat to democracy. This proposed bill must therefore be thrown out in its entirety as is.”
TheCable