Editorial: Leadership, red line of hate speech and Abike Dabiri-Erewa - ITREALMS

Editorial@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!


In the 21st century, leadership is more than holding office it is about embodying the values of unity, justice, and inclusion. That is why the recent petition by Ogbako Ndi Igbo UK against the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, deserves serious national attention.

The petition, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accuses Dabiri-Erewa of amplifying ethnic bigotry by reposting content on her X platform in which the Igbo ethnic group was described as “monkeys,” “bastards,” and “children of gorillas.” 

ALTON @20: Cautions on hate speech, set to celebrate members - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

All is now set for the 20th anniversary and award ceremony of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) billed for this Friday in Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming as ALTON warned top government officials overt hate speech against telecom operators, which is capable of causing civil unrest and vandalisation of telecommunications.

ALTON chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo made this known in Lagos while speaking with ITREALMS on the 20th anniversary celebration.

He said, ALTON has impacted on the national socio—economic development of the country, and applauded Nigeria ICT Media for their support over the last 20 years and for telling the good story about the sector.

He also used the opportunity to clarify the rumour making a round in the industry that ALTON was a subset of anybody before now.

“We were never a subsidiary of any group of association and neither were we at any point in time a sub-set of another association,” he declared.

Adebayo pointed out that ALTON was formed in 1999, then known as the National Association of Telecom Operators (NALTO) and incorporated in the year 2000 as the Association Of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) a corporate body, duly registered under the laws of Federal Republic of Nigeria as an Incorporated Trustee, and officially recognized by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other regulatory agencies as the industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in Nigeria.

He insisted "We were never a subsidiary of any group of Association."

Emphasising that ALTON founding fathers, some of who are still with alive, constituted the association to address the peculiar early challenges faced by Private Telecom Operators (PTO) as they were called at the time, some of these were issues of signaling protocol issues, interconnectivity, billing issues, multiple regulation and taxation issues of right of way and protection of the overall interest of private investors in the sector, which at the time, NITEL the incumbent did everything possible to frustrate their existence.

Membership of ALTON, he told ITREALMS, includes all the major telecommunications licensees in Nigeria, particularly Mobile Network Operators (MNO) Infrastructure Companies (Infrocos) Fixed and Mobile Fixed voice and data operators across the various segments are all members of ALTON.

"Since inception, ALTON continues to play a key role in market development of the telecommunications industry. Its intervention on behalf of members on several issues such as challenges of multiple taxation, multiple regulations, rates and tariff determination, market competition, unfavorable government policies, Telecommunications as Critical National Infrastructure has been of immense benefit to the Nigerian telecommunications industry at large," he said.

ITREALMS reported that he paid special tribute to the first batch of board of trustees and executive members including Late General Tanko Ayuba Rtd, Chief Adebayo Akande, Chief Ezekiel Fatoye, Chief Mike Adenuga, Mrs. Alero Nwanna, Late Engr. Alaba Charles Joseph, Mrs. Arnina Oyagbola, Mr. Chandon Kelwal Ramani, Alhaji Bashir El-Rufai, Chief Maan Lababidi, Mr. Albert Mashi, Late Mr. Chioke Ogugua, Engr. Adamu M. Yahaya Treasurers | Chairman, Technical, late Mr. Chioke Ogugua Chairman, Legal/Regulatory, Engr. Bayo Banjo Chairman, Commercial/Finance, and Mr. Rueben Muoka Chairman, Publicity/Events.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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The amorphous hate speech bill - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS: 

The issue of the hate speech bill which was sponsored by a former Senate Spokesperson, who now is the Deputy Senate Whip, Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger State) has been trailed with a lot of comments. The bill passed first reading at the floor of the red chamber on Tuesday, titled: "National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech Bill 2019".

Before now, Abdullahi had sponsored a similar bill in the 8th Senate, but couldn't survive second reading as a result of criticisms from different corners.

Taking a look at the bill, offenders are either liable to 10 years jail term, payment of #10 million fine or death by hanging. This kind of bill must not see the light of the day, a bill fashioned to deprive Nigerians of their right, suppresses freedom of speech.

At a time like this, emphasis should be on the democratic growth of the nation, than a bill to pull it down. Can this bill be justified? What constitutes hate speech in a democratic setting?

Section 39 (3) of the Constitution had made it clear that no law could abrogate the rights of Nigerians to exercise their right to freedom of speech. I am waiting to see if the 9th Senate will pass a bill detrimental to the people. A friend once told me that the Senate does not fully understand its role as one of the three arms of government. We don't want an unresistant Senate, as it is a danger to the growth of the nation.

The bill according to the sponsor, is aimed at ensuring the elimination of all forms of hate speeches; promoting the elimination of all forms of hate speeches against persons or ethnic group; as well as advising the Federal Government on the matter.

I can see dictatorship coming. A look at the multifaceted issues confronting the nation, is it the hate speech bill that should be on the front-burner? This is an ill-formed, shapeless and formless bill.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Nigeria is a signatory to this international instrument.

They said hate speech is a specie of terrorism. This bill has brought stimulated discourse in many quarters. For me, the bill is already taken care of under slander, libel, treasonable felony and other crimes. The proposed bill is in conflict with the Constitution, existing laws like Criminal Act and Penal Codes and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act.

What the nation needs at this period are laws that will bring about peace, justice and good governance; laws that will holistically address the three monsters of insecurity, corruption and impunity currently holding the nation down. Nigerians for once should show their displeasure by resisting blatant oppression.

Anytime I remember this bill that is uncalled for, I remember Pakistan and Somalia. Nigeria as a nation should do things rightly, or is this a flawed democracy?

Each passing day, I see those called leaders full of disruptive tendencies at the detriment of the citizens. We can't achieve greatness, if the rights of the people are muzzled because when you subdue freedom of speech, then sycophants are seen all over the place which is not what the nation wants. A sycophant is myopic and insular in the appreciation of his actions. It is important to mention here that saying things the way they are is a sign for openness towards the growth of the nation and such helps in building a just society.

Hate speech has worn a fabric (Ankara), but is this the Nigeria of our dream?

For those putting on the apron of hate speech (crusaders), they should know how to differentiate between hate speech and a robust expression of one's views.

If I describe the Nigerian Police as inefficient, is that hate speech?

The time to act is now. May God save us from us!

*Chris Uruakpa writes from Lagos

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APC, architect of hate speech in Nigeria says Vatsa – ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

A former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State, Comrade Jonathan Vatsa, has described the All Progressive Congress (APC) as architect of hate speech in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

Also, he condemned the 9th National Assembly for the proposed bill seeking death penalty for convicts of hate speech, urging them to equally propose bill for cemetery to accommodate those their latest hate speech will affect, alleging that there are more to it than meets the eye.

Vatsa, a former Publicity Secretary of APC in the state made this known while addressing selected journalists in Minna, and described the move as not only laughable but a direct invitation for anarchy.
The APC chieftain advised the 9th Assembly to also propose a bill that will apply for lands in the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as did for Ruga to be used as cemetery for hate speech offenders that will be killed.
“I call on Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi to also propose a bill that will ensure we have separate cemetery for offenders so that we can have it as tourist’s sites with inscriptions ‘Hate Speech’ cemetery because the offenders may also include those of us who have benefitted from hate speech.
“What a shame.”
Vatsa wondered why the APC-controlled Senate should ever contemplate such a “draconian and unpopular law,” saying “We rode to power in 2015 through hate speech.
“We (APC) brought hate speech to Nigeria politics and I am one of them.
“As a Publicity Secretary of the APC, I know how we used hate speech to mobilize Nigerians against the then ruling party.
“And it paid off because Nigerians eventually hated the Peoples Democratic Party. Before 2015, Nigerians did not know anything like hate speech.
“In fact, since the return of democracy in 1999, we are just hearing about hate speech. APC as a political party brought hate to politics in form of propaganda.
“The truth must be told: we’re the architect of hate speech and nobody complained about it. We enjoyed it and it worked for us.
“If we think we have failed Nigerians in our change promises, we should be bold enough to tell Nigerians that we are sorry, we couldn’t deliver, but to try to cage them by trying to introduce or recycle Decree 4 of 1984 in the name of hate speech is unacceptable,” he said.



Vatsa further blamed the Senate Deputy Whip, who is from Niger North Senatorial District, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, over the proposed bill for death penalty for hate speech, warning it “might consume all of us.”
He said rather than proposing death penalty for hate speech offenders, it should be death penalty for corrupt leaders in this country because “corruption and injustice gave birth to what is now being called hate speech. If there is justice, equity, fairness and respect for rule of law, there will be no hate speech.
“But when people are being marginalized and denied their right, surely there will be hate speech,” he said, insisting that “You cannot stop people from expressing their freedom of speech.”
“If the Senate is proposing death penalty for hate speech, then what will they do to Boko Haram, armed bandits, kidnappers, oil bunkers and treasury looters both politicians and civil servants?
“All these things are worse than hate speech. There are more pressing issues to Nigerians that the Senate should look into and address instead of wasting their energy on an unpopular bill like this one that will not see the light of the day,” Vatsa said.
He believes that there are more to the proposed hate speech bill, alleging that “If the rumor of President Muhammadu Buhari nursing the ambition of third term is correct, then they need death penalty for hate speech to silence everybody who will want to oppose him.
“But the Senate should know that he who lives in a glass house should not throw stone because they cannot be there forever.
“When they leave the Senate, the law can catch up with them.
“Again, if the money meant for constituency projects are utilized for the purpose it was meant for and the people begin to see dividends of democracy, there will be no need for hate speech.
“If the millions of Nigerian youths can have something to do to earn a living, they will not have time for hate speech.
“If people are allowed to elect their leaders in a free and fair election there will be no hate speech.
“So, something gave birth to hate speech and that is what the Senate should address.”

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LinkedIn updates ToS, warns on hate speech

ITREALMS: LinkedIn has proclaimed an updates on its Terms of Service (ToS) to every individual user of its services, warns of harassment and hate speech attracting permanent restriction, reports ITRealms. This follows the proposed European Commission new regulation on data, otherwise known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set to take effect from May 8, 2018. ITRealms reports that Sara Harrington, Vice President of Legal at LinkedIn was quoted as saying that the ToS was to afford LinkedIn users an overview of some of what’s new. These changes, Harrington said, impact the User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Professional Community Policies and are effective May 8, 2018. “Anytime we make updates, we hope to make it easy for you to understand your choices and the control you have over your data and content on LinkedIn,” Harrington said. She outlined some of the details worthy of note to include that they are making it even easier to understand the data we have about you, how you can correct it and how you can ask us to stop using it. “Our new settings give you more control over ads you see and more transparency about the data shared with advertisers,” she said. Harrington cited for example, that harassment and hate speech are not welcome on our platform and could result in permanent restriction from LinkedIn. “If you are being paid to share or endorse a product or service, you need to disclose that you’re being paid for your opinions or actions,” she advised. According to her, refreshed community policies make sure LinkedIn stays a platform where people act professionally. “Built from our well-established community guidelines, these policies encourage discussions that can help our members be more productive and successful, and outline what activity may be stopped by LinkedIn,” she said. LinkedIn maintained that users privacy comes first in all of these updates. “We now meet the high standard for data privacy introduced by the new European data protection law known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which goes into effect later in May. LinkedIn members around the world will benefit from many of these changes,” Harrington declared. Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops

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Nigerian media commended for understanding dangers of hate speech

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian media have been commended for their understanding of the dangers of hate speech, reports ITRealms.

This commendation is coming from the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed while declaring open the workshop on ‘Hate Communication in Nigeria: Identifying its roots and remedies’ held in Abuja Thursday.

He noted that it’s a fact that media takes this issue seriously is very encouraging, stressing that in most cases, the media wittingly or unwittingly provides the platform for the dissemination of hate speech.

“But I can say here, unequivocally, that the Nigerian media understands the dangers of hate speech,” he declared.

He reiterated that hate speech is not free speech.

“For example, while the Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of speech, it does not guarantee freedom of hate speech. That's because hate speech could be the precursor of violence, of genocide,” he said.

He pointed out that in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead, remains fresh in the memory of the world.

Insisting that hate speech, or what later became known as 'Hate Media', was a major catalyst of that genocide.

This, he said, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda confirmed that when it sentenced two Rwandan journalists to life in prison and a third to 35 years in jail for their roles in fueling the genocide.

At the trial of the journalists, Mohammed said the tribunal was told how the media played a major role in inciting extremists from the Hutu majority to slaughter of ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.

The lesson here, he said, is that journalists must never offer their platforms for use to communicate hate speech.

“They must say NO to hate speech. That's one of the fastest ways to nip the dangers of hate speech in the bud,” Mohammed said.

This, he said, is why this workshop is very important, stressing that with the quality of the resource persons who have been assembled for this workshop, it will achieve its purpose and also go a long way in stemming the tide of hate speech in our country.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Buhari’s directive against IPOB a hate order - SERG

ITRealms:

The South East Revival Group (SERG) has described as hate order, the marching directiver by President Muhammadu Buhari to service chiefs to crush the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), reports ITRealms.

In its reaction to the directive, the group in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Chief Willy Ezugwu strongly condemned the order, saying it was part of plans for ethnic cleansing in Igbo land.

The reaction came at the Weekend after an emergency meeting by the central executive of the socio-political organisation in Enugu.

The statement added that "it is worrisome that a non-violent body like the IPOB should be included in an order to crush violent groups and criminal gangs.

"For us in the SERG, this directive is clearly a hate order, targeted against the people of South East and part of a plot to begin ethnic cleansing in Igbo land.

"Rather than support the on-going effort of South East Governor's Forum to address the development challenges in the zone, the President Buhari administration has again openly displayed its hatred to the people of the zone.

"Unarmed Igbo people of the South East have been killed, many more injured under the president government for holding an opinion. That is war against humanity.

"We call on the federal government to urgently address the development deficit in the South East region, which is the reason for the renewed agitation in the region.

"The South East is the only zone in Nigeria with the five states and the only part of the country with little or no federal presence.

"We also urge the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to order the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to begin massive rehabilitation of federal roads across the South East zone.

"We believe that it’s time to end the shedding of innocent blood and sowing of seeds that fan the embers of disunity to preserve the country as one indivisible entity", the group stated. 

Ozo Nweke Ozo/GEE

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