Senator Sani Warns Against Monitoring of Social Media
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debts, Senator Shehu Sani, has warned against any attempt by the Nigerian Military to monitor citizens on their use of social media.
Sani, said the military and the police have no business monitoring the social media under any guise, adding that it is an attempt to trample upon the right of Nigerians.
The Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone representative made this in an interview with at the weekend during a press conference to mark Sallah celebration.
According to him, “let use this opportunity to condemn in unreserved terms any attempt to trample upon the right of Nigerians freedom of speech in the guise of fighting hate speeches.
“The military and the police have no business monitoring the social media. Few days ago, I was at the headquarters of National Human Right Commission and I told them and I’m still saying it that, we at the National Assembly, particularly in the senate, will come up a bill that will clearly define what hate speech is and what hate speech is not.
“This will prevent giving security agencies the blank check to go after each and every person who speak. Nigerians must speak to defend their constitution.
“They must speak to criticize their government, hold them accountable and speak to cast out lies in our democratic experiment.
“Those who also want to exploit the right to freedom of speech to incite people to cause disharmony, to dismember this country, to derogate other persons or to violate religion and other sensitivities of others are the ones we should do away with in the society.
Those are the ones we will not accept. This democracy is a product of struggle of those who laid down their lives. And on no guise we will fold our hands and see our democracy simply taking away.”
Shehu Sani urged the media to at all times defend the values of the profession, saying “I want to call on the members of the fourth estate of the realm to remain firm, resolute in the defense of the ethics and values of your profession.
“You have the duty to build on respect and dignity your grandfathers in the profession transferred to you and pass it unto upcoming ones. This country must be defended and protected.
“All sectional, tribal and religion sentiments that are trying to undermine our unity are the forces we must stand up to fight.”
