Jonathan reminds Nigerians of ‘total freedom enjoyed’ during his tenure

Barely 24 hours after the military said it is now monitoring social media for hate speeches, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has reminded Nigerians of the “total freedom enjoyed” during his administration.

Jonathan took to his Facebook page on Thursday to share a quote he made during his tenure in which he said he was the “most abused and insulted president”.

“I am the most abused and insulted president in the world, but when I leave office you will all remember me for the total freedom you enjoyed under my government,” the quote read.

Jonathan, during his tenure as president, signed the freedom of information act into law.

The military’s decision to watch out for comments that could be “anti-government, anti-military or anti-security” followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that some comments on social media “have crossed our national red lines“.

“Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation. This is a step too far,” Buhari had said during his nationwide broadcast.

In the same vein, vice president Yemi Osinbajo recently announced that hate speech will now be treated as an act of terrorism.

“The federal government has today drawn the line on hate speech. Hate speech is a specie of terrorism,” Osinbajo had said.

“The Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as amended defines terrorism as an act which deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm a country or is intended or can be reasonably be regarded as having been done to seriously intimidate a population. Silence in such situations can only be seen as an endorsement.”