NUJ Rejects Bill on Hate Speech, Wants N’Assembly to Throw it Away

Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia

As the bill proposing death penalty for hate speech continues to rake up controversy, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the National Assembly to throw away the offensive bill if its sponsor refuses to withdraw it.

The call was contained in a nine-point communiqué issued by the zonal executive committee meeting of Zone C (South East) held in Umuahia during which the zonal leaders engaged in “long deliberations” on pertinent national and local issues.

National Vice-president of NUJ Zone C, Mr. Chris Isiguzo who read the communiqué at a press conference, said that the hate speech bill should be withdrawn with immediate effect because of its draconian nature.

The NUJ said that it was regrettable that despite all the condemnations and revulsions that have trailed the killings of citizens by herdsmen/militias across the nation the murderous activities have not abated.

It therefore urged all security agencies in the country “to rise up to the challenge” and put a final end to the incessant killings so that Nigerians can live in peace and their lives and properties protected at all times.
The Zone C leaders of NUJ took a critical look at the raging debate on local government autonomy and elected to be in favour of granting the third tier of government the needed autonomy to operate effectively without the suffocating arms of state governments.

This end the zonal executive committee urged all the state legislatures in the South-east geopolitical zone to “vote in favour of local government financial/administrative autonomy in the ongoing constitutional amendment to strengthen that tier of government for more productivity.”

On the non representation of the South-east zone in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the NUJ zonal executives said that the federal government should “without further delay” end the delay in appointing INEC commissioner for the zone. The position hitherto held by Lawrence Nwuruku has remained vacant since his tenure ended.

The NUJ said that it would not like road users in the South-east zone to experience another round of distress as this year’s rainy season approaches hence it urged the federal government contractors handling road projects across the zone to expedite action and complete the rehabilitation of the deplorable roads.

It called on governments at all levels to invest in construction of more irrigation projects and dams to boost food production thereby ensuring food security in the zone.