Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has budgeted N 336 million to campaign against hate speech and fake news .
This is contained in the 2021 budget proposal presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday.
It reads in part, “ ERGP9124023 Special enlightenment campaign on government policies and programmes ; testimonial series to gauge the impact of government policies on the citizenry , advocacy against fake news, hate speech , farmers -herder clashes , banditry, rape etc . ongoing- N 336, 015, 959. ”
The Federal Government has in recent times put in place several strict measures to tackle hate speech and fake news amid criticisms from rights groups that it is a ruse to stifle free speech .
The National Broadcasting Commission had recently amended the Broadcast Code , hiking the fine for hate speech from N 500, 000 to N 5 million, a move which has been challenged in court .
A bill that imposes the death penalty on “ any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person ” is currently before the Senate .
Tagged “ National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches ” , the bill is sponsored by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate , Abdullahi Aliu Sabi ( APC, Niger State ) .
It states in part, “ Any person who commits an offence under this section shall be liable to life imprisonment and where the act causes any loss of life , the person shall be punished with death by hanging . ”
On offences like harassment on the basis of ethnicity , racial contempt, the bill proposes not less than a five -year jail term or a fine of not less than N 10 million or both .
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