Dapo Abiodun Declares Support For Hate Speech Bill

Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun state, has joined some other stakeholders in the country to make his support for the proposed social media and hate speech bills known.

Speaking on Monday at an event to mark 160 years of journalism in Abeokuta, Ogun state, the governor said the law will bring sanity to social media and keep misinformation at bay.

Kunle Somorin, his chief press secretary, in a statement quoted the governor as saying such law will hold citizen journalists accountable.

Despite opposition from Nigerians against the bill, which has scaled second reading at senate, more and more members of the political ruling class have continued to drum their support for the bill.

Abiodun, however, stated that he does not support extreme measures like death penalty for offences like misinformation, but that the law will end the “rise of malicious and deliberate misinformation by some unethical social media users.”

“We have to find a win-win situation. The idea is not to gag the media in any form or manner, but to ensure that the media is held responsible for carrying out their responsibility; and of cause, the issue of death penalty is not called for,” he said.

“This has prompted a lot of reactions from different quarters, with some even calling for death penalties for people who are found guilty of what has now become popularly referred to as the hate speech,” he said.

“It is, therefore, imperative that journalists should always be on their guard against forces that seek to take advantage of the formidable power of the profession for their selfish aims.”