Hate speech fine increased to N5m to avoid destabilization of Nigeria- FG

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the federal government increased the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5 million in the amended National Broadcasting Code, to deter people deliberately violating the provision “to destabilise the country.”

Mohammed, gave the explanation on Friday when he featured on a TVC live programme, “This Morning” said that “What motivated the amendment was that when the fine was N500,000, we saw the provision being violated at will because the amount was very easy to pay,”

The minister had while unveiling the reviewed Nigeria Broadcasting Code earlier on Tuesday in Lagos disclosed that the fine for hate speech had been increased to N5million.

He explained that the amendments were necessitated by a presidential directive for an inquiry into the regulatory role of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the conduct of broadcast stations before, during, and after the elections.

The minister explained that some desperate people, who know that their broadcast content contains hate speech, will insist that the broadcast stations should air it while they bear the cost of the fine.

He noted that those attacking the government over the increase, must remember that hate speech had destroyed many countries.

He recalled that Rwanda lost 800,000 lives to hate speech while Bosnia and Cambodia equally lost thousands of lives to the menace.

Mohammed said that Nigeria is not the only country imposing sanction on hate speech, adding that some nations have more stringent provisions.

“Chad has today slowed down the speed of its internet service to slow down the growth of hate speech.

“Iceland has a provision in its penal code against hate speech and the punishment is up to five years in jail.

“The sanction in Norway is up to two years imprisonment while South Africa separated hate speech from the protection their citizens can get from the constitution,” the minister said.

The minister said that hate speech is not new but the social media and its wildfire capacity to spread information made it to be more problematic.

He, therefore, reiterated the resolve of the government to regulate the social media without stifling the freedom of speech

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), senior lawyers and human rights groups on Tuesday took a swipe at the Federal Government for raising the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5m.