The Salvage Group (TSG) has condemned the anti-social media bill sponsored by Senators Ibn Na’Allah.

According to the National Coordinator, Peter Ajayi, the bill is a usurpation of power by a few of misguided senators who are ignorant of what freedom of speech means in a representative democracy.

The bill has fueled emotionally charged debate about the secrecy of corrupt politicians and the people’s right to know. Shutting down the internet is a very serious attack on freedom of expression. Nigerians have the fundamental right to print and disseminate political information and voice their opinions about it. Throughout the world, these values are codified into laws of many countries and are included in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Part of the statement of the group reads: “We believe the bill is repressive, coercive, and a weapon of control and surveillance to gag, muzzle, and restrict the freedom of speech enshrined in our Constitution. The bill is an act of betrayal and dishonesty on the part of the sponsors especially coming from APC senators of the ruling party. At no point in a modern society should Nigerians be made to feel that a better future is impossible, neither should anyone especially elected representatives of the people define the democratic choice Nigerians make”.

“The bill would limit the freedom of speech, the press, and expression which are detrimental to society. By preventing free access to information, the sponsors are fostering ignorance in its citizens. Through this ignorance, citizens are more easily controlled by special interest groups led by corrupt politicians to hide and maintain their corrupt practices. We believe we the people should control the government instead of the government controlling its people”.

“The bill will have the power to invent any penalty, including jail term, for any digital transgression the sponsors deem Nigerians to be guilty of. It would allow unaccountable corrupt politicians to arbitrarily hide information from the public”.

“We are glad that the bill is DOA – Dead On Arrival – at the President’s desk. President Muhammadu Buhari has made known his opposition to the bill by saying that he’ll not sign any bill into law that violates the freedom of speech as stipulated in our Constitution”.

“Given the afore mentioned negative impact the bill would have on free speech, Salvage for Development Initiative joins other well meaning Nigerians to say NO to the obnoxious bill”.