The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), senior lawyers and human rights groups within the week took a swipe at the Federal Government for raising the fine for hate speech.
They said this is a deliberate move by the federal government to deny the citizenry their fundamental right of expression and to stifle all descenting voices especially the media and opposition parties. They warned of the danger inherent in this dictatorial tendency.
It could be recalled that, the Minister Of Information and Culture. Alhaji Lai Mohammed announced recently that the federal government of Nigeria has increased the fine on hate speech from N500,000 to N5,000,000.
The Minister said people are deliberately violating the provisions of the National Broadcasting Code with the intent of destabilizing the country. He said this move will deter further violation.
Mohammed had while unveiling the amended Nigeria Broadcasting Code recently in Lagos disclosed that the fine for hate speech had been increased because the previous fine of N500,000 was too small for offenders.
He explained that the amendments were necessitated by a presidential directive for an inquiry into the regulatory role of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the conduct of broadcast stations before, during, and after the elections.
The minister explained that some desperate people, who know that their broadcast content contains hate speech, will insist that the broadcast stations should air it while they bear the cost of the fine.
He noted that those attacking the government over the increase, must remember that hate speech had destroyed many countries.
Mohammed said that Nigeria is not the only country imposing sanction on hate speech, adding that some nations have more stringent provisions. He blamed social media for making it look problematic and hinted of the resolve by the federal government to regulate the social media without stifling freedom of speech.