Pan-African digital rights organization, Paradigm Initiative
has commended the two legislative houses of the National Assembly (NASS) for
passing the Digital Rights and Freedom bill, reports ITRealms.
The bill, ITRealms recalled was passed on Tuesday afternoon
by the Senate following earlier passage at the House of Representatives last
December, 2017.
The Bill, ITRealms gathered was a product of civil society
efforts led by Paradigm Initiative beginning at the 2014 Internet Freedom Forum
in Abuja, “provides for the protection of human rights online, to protect
Internet users in Nigeria from infringement of their fundamental freedoms and
to guarantee application of human rights for users of digital platforms and/or
digital media.”
Speaking on the importance of the bill, Paradigm
Initiative’s Digital Rights Programme Manager, Boye Adegoke said, “By the
passage of this BIll, the legislative arm of government has shown a commitment
to the development of digital rights in Nigeria.”
He expressed excitement about the provisions in this Bill
regarding freedom of expression online.
“The bill will ensure that citizens can freely express their
opinions online without interference. This is such a positive development at a
time when Nigeria is moving into an election season and there are legitimate
fears that there may be moves by some political interests to gag free speech in
the country.
The positive leadership of the National Assembly on the issue is
quite commendable.” Adegoke said.
Also speaking, Director of Programme at Paradigm Initiative,
Tope Ogundipe said “Nigeria has demonstrated remarkable leadership on the
continent by passing this Bill. The Bill is quite important to the future of
innovation and Nigeria’s digital economy in essence. It represents the needed
framework to attract the partnership of global brands in the digital economy.”
Worthy of note about this bill, ITRealms gathered, is the
provision of progressive legislative backing to online speech in the country.
Paradigm Initiative further urged President Muhammadu Buhari
to assent to the bill to transform it into a law, making it Nigeria’s first law
on human rights online.
Clause 14 of the bill, for instance, reads, “Every person shall
have the right to freely express opinion online without interference, this
right includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas,
regardless of digital frontiers”. Under this Bill, freedom of expression
further includes the freedom to express and impart information and ideas of all
kinds that can be transmitted to others, in whatever form, and regardless of
media.”
Nenye Egbune/GEE
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