The Senate will not stand down the Hate-Speech bill and the Social Media bill in spite of mounting opposition against them.
Lawmakers would have the opportunity of the public hearing to express their reservations.
They promised that the interest of Nigerians will be taken into consideration in passing the bills.
On Wednesday, a group of protesters at the National Assembly told the ninth Senate to “shut down” the “obnoxious bills”.
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), elder statesman Chief Afe Babalola and John Cardinal Onaiyekan also took hard position against the bills.
The regulation of social media bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to make provisions for the protection from internet falsehood and manipulations and for related matters, 2019,” sponsored by Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East), has scaled second reading in Senate.
The anti-hate-speech bill titled: “National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches (Establishment, etc) Bill, 2019”, sponsored by Senate Deputy Chief Whip Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, initially listed death by hanging for offenders.
But the senator has said that the clause would be expunged before further consideration of the bill.
Two senators – Uba Sani and Oseni Yakubu – addressed the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) protesters on behalf of Senate President Ahmed Lawan.
They assured that bills would not be passed should they be rejected by Nigerians at the public hearing.
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