By Adam Alqali
Stakeholders working in the area of combating hate speech under the aegies of the Coordinating Commitee on Hate Speech hosted a one day forum for state and non-state actors in Abuja on Wednesday, 3 days to the presidential elections.
The forum which was supported by the MacArthur Foundation and the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme, NSRP, was a follow up to a similar one organised in January by the Committee. It brought together civil society activists, media practitioners and regulators, journalists, political parties’ representatives, and human rights activists.
Speaking at the forum, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, the chair of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, said political leaders have failed Nigerians and accused both General Muhammadu Buhari, the APC’s presidential flag bearer and President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP’s presidential flag bearer of not doing anything against those propagating hate speeches, in their names.
“Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable, politicians are destroying our country and we seem helpless. Disparaging other people simply because we dont worship in the same place, we don’t live in the same geographical location is not acceptable, ” said Prof Odinkalu.
He added that the NHRC would come up with an accountability report after the 2015 General Elections, and warned that 2015 would be the last time politicians would commit electoral violence, hate speech as well as electoral malpractices and got away with it.
Also speaking at the forum, Mal Ahmed Yelwa of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, said they were on daily basis receiving complaints from both APC and PDP concerning hate speeches and added that his council never authorised any advertisement that was contrary to Nigerian laws.
“APCON doesn’t have powers to close down nedia organisations, we can only fine media organisations. If we had powers to close down media organisations, the level of compliance would have been increased,” complained Mr Yelwa.
