The sponsor of the controversial Hate Speech Bill, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, said on Tuesday that the proposed legislation was alive and would continue its journey at the National Assembly like any other.
He, however, clarified that the death penalty provision in the bill would be removed.
Sabi, who is also the Deputy Senate Majority Whip, explained that he would propose an amendment to the bill since it would be wrong to jettison the entire bill because of death penalty.
He argued that Nigeria needed a hate speech bill to help nip potential crises in the bud.
The senator spoke with State House Correspondents in Abuja after he joined a delegation of ‘Eminent Citizens of Niger State’ to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa.
He said, “Because the baby is dirty, we can’t say the baby should be thrown away with the bath water.
“The death penalty was the main issue. I will ensure that the death penalty is put away from the bill.
“But, Nigeria deserves to have a hate speech bill. There is so much hate speech in Nigeria. ”
Sabi further argued that if there was no law to regulate hate speech in the country, Nigeria ran the risk of becoming the next Rwanda.
He noted that there were many inciting speeches made in Nigeria, capable of igniting religious, ethnic or communal crises in the country.
The bill had passed first reading on the floor of the Senate on November 12, 2019, amid controversies.
However, the Senate tried to wash its hands off the bill, saying that it was a Private Member proposal by Sabi and not the entire Senate.
