Nigeria is better off
together as a nation but so many issues have threatened its nationhood in that
questions has arisen whether it will ever achieve this status. The question of
its unity being negotiable or not does not lie with this present administration
or any other; rather, it lies on the ability of Nigerian leaders to live up to
the tenets of democracy and for the masses to exercise their voting rights and
power towards electing the right leaders without sentiments, and not on selfish
grounds. By so doing, National cohesion will be achieved.
National Cohesion is a process
and an outcome of instilling and enabling all citizens in the country to have a
sense as well as a feeling that they are members of the same country. It goes
beyond peace-keeping and conflict management. It is based on the principle that
societies and individuals can only achieve their goals when living and working
together. National cohesion is strongest when everyone in the country has the
opportunity, the resources and the motivation to participate in society as
fully as they wish and on an equal basis with others, without one group feeling
superior over others.
The idea of National
Cohesion and integration is to help citizens in fostering a general
understanding that enhances efficiency for nation building and promotion of
sustainable economic growth and development through which any country can
achieve democratic consolidation.
Democratic consolidation
is the advancement of democracy to maturity, in a way that means it is unlikely
to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock. Unconsolidated
democracies suffer from formalized but intermittent elections. Democratic
consolidation should therefore consequently connote a consistent and sustained
practice of democratic principle. Democracy and democratic consolidation came
to be because of the need for people to participate in the issues of their own
leadership and deciding who to rule them through free and fair elections.
Democracy gives People ultimate authority to be part of their governance. The
source of the authority of government, the political equality of all citizens,
free elections and other forms of civic participation, etc. are all fundamental
principles of democracy.
Challenges are everyday
encounter requiring proactive approaches. Nigerian democracy has gone beyond
nascent, yet it has continued to crawl. What are the reasons behind Nigeria’s
dwindling democracy? Muhammad Aminu Kwasau enumerated the Challenges of
National Cohesion and Democratic Consolidation as follows:
Ethno Religious Factor: Every ethnic nationality in Nigeria has
its own major religious belief, interest, culture, language and level of
aspiration which are the social factors that make the creation of a common
identity impossible. The killing of members of other religious belief,
insecurity situations, hate speeches, etc all point to the fact that a
particular group is out to silence the others in the name of religion.
The absence of true federalism: This boils down to the
fact that Nigeria lacks true federal structure which makes it difficult for it
to achieve its democratic enterprise. The federal government is very
overbearing as it controls about 80% of the country’s resources leaving state
and local governments at its mercy. Democracy can only thrive where regions,
states or geographical zones have the power to control their resources and to
have access to the necessary funds for community development programs. In a
nutshell, only true federalism, achieved through restructuring can sustain democracy
and ensure democratic consolidation in Nigeria.
Abject Poverty: About 70% of the Nigerian population is
estimated poor. Not only that Nigerians are poor, they are ignorant to the
reason why they have remained poor in the midst of abundance of resources God
has blessed them with. Nigerians receive their own share of national cake
during elections from selfish politicians, which lasts but a while, and
thereafter, suffer for a long time for their wrong choices while their leaders
elect swing into their business of exploiting them. This is a big threat to
democracy in Nigeria.
Disjointed information: The media is democratically seen as
vanguard for holding governments accountable and guarding against the abuse of
power. This can be done by raising countervailing structures of surveillance to
monitor government activities and stem an inherent disposition towards excess.
But in Nigeria, especially in this republic, there are constraints on press
media resulting in suppression of information, provision of disjointed and half
hazard information, thereby limiting the capacity of individuals to being
acquainted with political knowledge to assist them in controlling authoritarian
rule and participating adequately in political activities. Our media that are
responsible for adequate circulation of information has been subsumed into the
elite structure, making it difficult for the masses to be carried along in the
matters of governance.
The politics of god-fatherism: This is a game where
political kingmakers and gladiators manipulate the political system to enthrone
their crowned political stewards. By so doing, their crowned sons remain ever
grateful to them and continually show them appreciation at the expense of the
good of those they govern. These godfathers control state resources and
policies not minding the corporate existence of the state. In fact their
activities help frustrate the basic democratic values in society and block the
democratic process by obstructing selection of good and qualified candidates
for elective posts, thereby making the rise of true democracy a hard nut to
crack.
Corruption: Democracy cannot be predicted or thrive on
grounds of political instability caused by incessant corrupt practices of
people in authority. Corruption in its popular conception is defined as the
exploitation of public position, resources and power for private/selfish gain
and for this definition; it is the biggest threat to democracy.
Hate speech has posed a
challenge to national cohesion and democratic consolidation in Nigeria. It has
great power to disintegrate this nation if not properly addressed. According to
Abimbola Adelakun, hate speech is any speech that is used to demean persons
based on their identifiers such as race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and
predispose them to acts of violence. A
speech is termed hate speech if it is insulting, degrading, defaming,
negatively stereotyping or inciting hatred, discrimination or violence against
people in virtue of their race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual
orientation, disability, gender identity, etc.
According to US Legal,
Hate speech is a communication that carries no meaning other than the
expression of hatred for some group, especially in circumstances in which the communication
is likely to provoke violence. It is an incitement to hatred primarily against
a group of persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin,
gender, religion, sexual orientation, and the like. Hate speech can be any form
of expression regarded as offensive to racial, ethnic and religious groups and
other discrete minorities or to women.
Hate speeches have their
roots in the association one belongs to. The divergent political parties in the
country cannot be disconnected from what people say about/against the
government. Opposition and freedom of speech are basic ingredients of democracy
that should never be restrained because they keep the government on its toes to
provide the dividends of democracy to the citizenry as well as checkmate
excesses in governance. A report published in The Economist in May 2017 stated
that “the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data”, data from
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc.
is the indispensable commodity strengthening the fastest- growing
industries. But the Nigerian government is attempting to silence it in a way. According
to the Vice President, hate speech is terrorism and will no longer be tolerated
in Nigeria. Data economy cannot be silenced in the name of curbing hate
speeches. We need to draw a line between hate speech and free speech and know
exactly what speech we do not need.
Education can
undoubtedly guide/train the minds of youths on how the internet can be used
responsibly. The major problem that paved the way for hate speeches is simply
the gap in communication. An instance is on the purported news on President
Buhari’s death – a rumour that thrived when details regarding the health of the
president became shrouded in secrecy, which gave rise to hate speeches at that
time. Rather than waging war against the use of social media, the government
should channel its efforts aright. It should see to national development and
meticulously communicate this to the populace. Good works will speak for
themselves irrespective of any efforts and criticisms made to water them down.
When citizens’ sustenance and development are judiciously ensured, they will
become the heralds of the laudable activities of the government even while some
speak to the contrary.
The Federal Government
launched the Federal Government Information App (FGIAPP) in December, 2016 with
the purpose of informing the citizenry about the activities of the Government,
as described by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. He
also stressed that the activities of the present administration are hugely
under-reported, hence the need to align with the global trend in information
sharing. He added that the government is doing so much, yet people keep saying
they do not know because we are not communicating through the right channel.
The new app will bridge the gap by using the social media to tell the world what
the government is doing. The app will help set aright the minds of many through
the social media channel?
Another thing that fuels hate speech in Nigeria today is
ethnic-hate. Ethnic-hate in Nigeria, like racism, is a system’s problem and it
is structural. Both the citizens and the state are equally guilty of
ethnic-hate in Nigeria. Therefore, the question of hate-speech must not be
restricted to hate-language of ordinary citizens. The Nigerian state and its
functionaries are number one culprits of ethnic-hate as well as hate-speech.
This is because Nigeria is structured and governed on the basis of ethnic-hate
and hate speech.
The federal government
should make sure that they do not interrupt the freedom of speech on the
grounds of hate speech. It is good to study both to get a clear distinction, as
hate speech is entirely different from free speech. No government can stand or
succeed without due criticism. People have the right to say whatever they want,
as everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, no matter how offensive it may
be. But just because we can say something, does not mean that we should say it
anyhow.
In a detailed submission
on Wikipedia, hate speech regulations are said to be divided into two types:
those which are designed for public order and those which are designed to
protect human dignity. Those designed to protect public order require a higher
threshold to be violated, so they are not specifically enforced frequently. Hate
speech is distinctly different from policy criticism. Criticism of policy cannot
be classified as an incitement against any particular group on the basis of
tribe, region or religion; neither can it incite people to cause genocide. Hate
speech is destructive criticism meant to tear groups apart while freedom of
speech creates room for constructive criticism for corrective measures that
leads to change of character or behavior targeted at national development.
Hate speech intensified
as never before in 2017 following the prolonged medical leave of President
Buhari. His absence gave rise to
provocative statements emanating from different groups in the country,
especially from the leadership of IPOB and members. Most of the hate speeches were
directed at ethnic groups and/or religion. Nnamdi Kanu out of hate also said
that the president is dead and is not the person that returned to Nigeria. He
said that the sitting President is Jibril, President Buhari’s resemblance from
another part of the world.
As if that was not
enough, in reaction to the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
and Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB),
some Arewa youngsters gave an ultimatum to Igbos resident in the north to leave
the Northern region by October 1 2017. The Quit Notice was followed some days
or weeks after by recorded hateful songs broadcast from various stations in the
North inciting animosity and hate against Igbo people with calculated intention
of unleashing genocidal attacks against them. The words of the recorded songs,
broadcast in Hausa and English, manifest hate in the most extreme or intense
form, and are characterized by undisguised, genocidal, malicious intent. Northerners were directed
to wipe the Ibos off the face of the earth and to destroy their houses and
properties by burning them down with petrol.
In the same vein, a
Niger Delta group also threatened non-indigenes living in that region to
evacuate before October 1. Such speeches are capable of destabilizing the
nation. Consequently, the recent killings by the Fulani herdsmen and the
lackadaisical manner in which it is being handled by the Federal government has
also been heating up hate speeches from Nigerians against the fulanis and
Hausas.
An Igbo adage said, “When
a mother goat is chewing grass, its kid watches its mouth”. Our leaders are guilty of hate speech and
should start addressing it from the top before it will have any effect on the
masses. Nigerians have not forgotten
President Buhari’s “the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood”, the
hate speeches and the threats by the APC to form a parallel government, etc.
The hate speech bill if passed into law should focus more on Nigerian leaders
before the media, bloggers and social media users generally.
Hate speech is dangerous
to national cohesion, democracy and democratic consolidation and should be
fought by all Nigerians starting from the leaders. However, it should be noted
that free speech is different from hate speech and should be preserved as it is
the only way to address the issues in governance and correct societal ills to achieve
democratic consolidation, national cohesion and ensure national growth and development.
Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi
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