BY IKE WILLY
On June 18 annually, the United Nations celebrates the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
It is important for Nigerians to counter hate speech.
The Nigerian public space has become a treacherous terrain of toxicity no thanks to cheap talk that is whipping up cheap hate, especially on social media.
Nigeria’s multilingual, multiethnic and incredibly diverse society has come to steadily confound and dumbfound critics, cynics, and analysts in equal measure.
While Lord Lugard’s amalgamation of 1914 brought the Northern and Southern protectorates together in 1914 to form the country as it is known today, independence took until 1960. Nation building has taken ever since, with the sobering events of 1967 to 1970 when Nigeria cascaded into an avoidable civil war defining many things.
Nigeria has not done badly as a country; even if there have been many painful moments. Many Nigerian problems today come down to a lack of unity. For all that corruption has stolen from the country, the canker worm has benefited from the fact that the country’s challenge has been enfeebled by a lack of unity of purpose. Because Nigerians have struggled painfully to mine their diversity, there are those who have come to weaponise ethnicity. Their primary tactic is hate speech with which they seek to establish reason and appeal to primitive and primordial sentiments.
According to the United Nations, Hate speech calls out real or perceived “identity factors” of an individual or a group, including: “religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender,” but also characteristics such as language, economic or social origin, disability, health status, or sexual orientation, among many others. It’s important to note that hate speech can only be directed at individuals or groups of individuals. It does not include communication about States and their offices, symbols or public officials, nor about religious leaders or tenets of faith.
“In Nigeria, hate speech has taken different forms, with each form more dangerous than the last”
Recently, in the face of Nigeria’s security issues which have weighed heavily on public consciousness, the country has made efforts to tackle hate speech, especially in public and on social media by those determined to sunder the country.
It appears that every region of the country today has its demons to battle. In most of the North it is insecurity at the hands of bandits. In most of the South, it is secessionist agitations that have snowballed into vicious insecurity.
At the heart of these existential challenges is the relentless desire of some people to see just how much dent they can make on the country.
In Nigeria, hate speech has taken different forms, with each form more dangerous than the last. There have been long, windy speeches dripping with venom, vitriol, and hate directed to different individuals within the country. These speeches are deliberately designed as they have targeted people for their religions.
As Nigeria has moved to tackle hate speech by aid of legislation, it has found itself confronted with structures imposed by law. In 2020, an audacious attempt by legislation to check hate speech especially on social media was met with stiff resistance from Nigerians who saw it as a poorly disguised attempt to impinge on their freedom of speech. But there is a clear line between countering hate speech and impeding free speech.
The Rabat Plan of Action was adopted by experts at the wrap-up meeting in Rabat on 4-5 October 2012.It was aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of legislative patterns, judicial practices and policies regarding the concept of incitement to national, racial, or religious hatred, while ensuring full respect for freedom of expression as outlined in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Plan of Action was also aimed at arriving at a comprehensive assessment of the state of implementation of the prohibition of incitement in conformity with international human rights law and the identification of possible actions at all levels. The Plan of Action includes a broad range of recommendations for how religious leaders and actors can prevent incitement to violence and contribute to peace and stability. It is meant primarily as a tool to inform the work of religious leaders and actors, but is also relevant for States and institutions, secular civil society organizations and the media.
Nigerians must each take countering hate speech as a personal responsibility. Hate speech is a weapon in the hands of those who do not want to see the prosperity of Nigerians. It is no coincidence that a lot of hate speech usually goes into politics and elections. It is often a well-hatched ploy to turn Nigerians against each other, heat up the polity and lead to the commission of vicious crimes as it is an open secret that hate speech leads to hate crimes.
For every Nigerian, whether on social media or in everyday conversation, speech must be directed and dedicated to building a more peaceful and prosperous country where restraint is important and alienation, exclusion, discrimination and hate are eschewed.
.Willy wrote via Ikewilly9@gmail.com.
