Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has described hate speech as an act of terrorism and has warned not only will it rejected henceforth it will be considered an act of terrorism. The acting president, said this today in Abuja at the opening of the National Economic Council Summit. He said the silence from the country’s leaders of thought would be a “grave disservice” to the nation, its peace and its future.
“The Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as amended defines terrorism as an act which deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm a country or is intended or can be reasonably be regarded as having been done to seriously intimidate a population. Professor Osinbajo’s comments come on the heels of after months of regional and ethnic tensions, heightened by the quit notice given to Igbos by northern youth groups in reaction to secessionist agitations in the South East.
Warning that hate speech poses a grave danger to nations and the world, the Acting President said, “Silence in such situations can only be seen as an endorsement. “Hate speech and the promotion of the same through history from Nazi Germany and the extermination of Jews to the Rwandan genocide succeeded in achieving their barbarous ends by the silence of influential voices.
“The silence of leaders at this time – in our country- will be a grave disservice to our country, its peace and its future.” There has been a rise in calls for hate speech to be tackled decisively in the country and on Tuesday (August 15), the Senate promised to speed up the passage of two bills to tackle hate speech and jungle justice.
The National Economic Council is comprised of the 36 state governors, CBN governor, other presidency officials and agencies whose portfolios revolve around the economy and is being chaired by the Vice President.
Walter Onnoghen, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN); Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser (NSA) and Lawal Daura, Director-General of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) are among those at the event.
