BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Hon Tajudeen Abbas
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas has withdrawn the controversial bill seeking to jail persons for refusing to recite the new National Anthem and Pledge.
Tagged Counter Subversion Bill and other related draft legislation 2024, the bill sponsored by Abbas also prescribed punishment for people that disrespect government officials.
Clause 8 of the bill reads: "A person who destroys national symbols, refuses to recite the national anthem and pledge, defaces or abuses a place of worship with the intention of causing violence and subverting the Government of Nigeria, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N5,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 10 years or both."
The speaker, who announced the withdrawal of the bill via the X handle of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, had faced backlash from angry Nigerians and non-governmental organisation over the content of the legislation.
Specifically, a section of the bill that attracted punishment or fine for refusal to recite the National Anthem attracted widespread condemnation, with many allegedly making unguarded statements about legislators on the Social Media.
The bill introduced on July 24, 2024, also proposed death penalty for separatist activities that leads to death of anyone.
Announcing the withdrawal, Abbas disclosed that other countries such as the UK and Spain have similar laws.
He noted that the fate of the bill rests on the legislators, who would decide whether to reject or pass it into law.
AI Condemns Bill
Reacting, Amnesty International Nigeria (AI) has condemned the controversial bill, describing it as misplaced and ill-timed.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the Country Director of AI, Isa Sanusi titled: 'Nigeria: Withdraw the ill-timed Counter Subversion Bill 2024.'
"The misplaced and ill-timed Counter Subversion Bill 2024 sponsored by the Speaker House of Representatives Hon. Tajudeen Abbas must be withdrawn," he said.
Sanusi revealed that the bill violated international human rights standards, as it would be opened to vague and broad interpretations and could be used to impose incredibly harsh punishments simply for criticising the Nigerian authorities.
He informed that in countries where such legislation is implemented, the law is used to target political opponents and punish persons that peacefully express their views different from those in government.
While making a case for withdrawal of the bill, he noted that the law had always and everywhere, turned out to be a tool of repression.
"The unclear wording of the bill, the breadth of its application and the absence of any explicit safeguards relating to human rights make the bill – if passed into law – open to interpretation and therefore to mistakes and to abuse by officials.
"The content of the bill promoted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, is at odds with prevailing norms of a free society.
"Corruption, which is increasingly rampant and keeps Nigerians poorer is the ‘subversion’ that the House of Reps. should worry about and pay closer and concrete attention to. Giving the government more broad powers to punish the people who hold dissenting opinions will only further undermine human rights," he added.
Sanusi lamented that the government has failed to protect the citizens as seen in rampant deaths resulting in the activities of gunmen, bandits and kidnappers.
To this end, he enjoined the house of representatives to focus its legislative activities in addressing endemic poverty in the country.
"Nigerian authorities are failing to protect the people, as gunmen kill dozens of people frequently in Benue, Zamfara, Katsina and part of Sokoto state. Abduction for ransom is still widespread across Nigeria. Gunmen have prevented farming in some parts of Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara by imposing levies on farmers, while punishing those who could not pay with amputation or death.
"Amnesty International urges the House of Representatives to focus the legislature in the direction of addressing deep poverty which pushes millions to the brink of starvation. At a time when millions of Nigerians live at the mercy of unprecedented inflation and struggling to feed – and could not afford the cost of education and healthcare, such a legislation relegates the well-being of the people. Legislations must be compliant with domestic and international human rights standards," Sanusi added.
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