The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has urged the National Assembly to work on bill that creates employment opportunities for teeming unemployed youths rather than dissipate energies on hate speech.
Chairman of NUJ in Ekiti State, Rotimi Ojomoyela, gave the admonition in Ado-Ekiti during a public lecture deliver by the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, Ondo State, Prof. Adedayo Fasakin, as part of the activities for the 2019 Press Week of the union.
The NUJ leader noted that the bill, when passed, would be against the masses of the country, saying “we should not forget that our constitution allows for the citizens to express their views.”
He berated the Senate for the introduction of the hate speech bill, which seeks death penalty for offenders in the country.
The bill, which passed first reading in the Red Chamber on Tuesday, is being sponsored by former Senate spokesman, Aliyu Sabi Abdulahi.
He encouraged the Senate to be busy with bills that would help in transforming the economy of the country where massive job opportunities will be provided for the teeming youths.
According to him, “NUJ is against that bill because that bill will be used against the Nigerian masses; it is going to be used against opinions of the citizens and we should not forget that our constitution allows for citizens to express their views. That bill amounts to duplicity of efforts”.
Credit: Independent Newspaper
