Shrinking civic space: A threat to human rights and anti-graft war

BY TRACY KESHI

On November 5, the Nigerian senate re-introduced: “Protection from internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill 2019” a bill seeking to regulate the use of social media in the country. 

The bill prohibits statements on social media considered likely to be prejudicial to the “security of Nigeria”, and “diminishing public confidence in the government”.

The lawmaker who led the debate on the bill at the plenary session of Wednesday, 20 November 2019, Sen. Mohammad Sani Musa (APC: Niger) explained that the Bill sought to address the threat and mitigate against the risk associated with information via internet networks by monitoring abuse and deliberate misconduct. However, the bill contains certain provisions that overly restrict the use of social media, violate the law protecting freedom of speech, create ambiguous criminal offences that allow authorities prosecute anyone who criticises the government.

The freedom to information and expression, right of assembly and association, inclusion, human rights and citizens participation in public decision making is fundamental to the functionality of a developing society and a vital prerequisite for accountable governance and social justice.

The re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari brought with it a renewed hope of strength to overcome the numerous problems the country is currently facing.  Citizens believed his administration will commit to advancing the civic space and enable citizens engagement in a democratic way. Unfortunately, the right to freedom of expression has suffered with the organs of state charged with ensuring rule of law opposing voices of credible critics of bad governance, and encouraging impunity and continued attacks on the fundamental human rights of citizens. 

A worrisome trend of shrinking civic space has emerged and created a system that denies citizens their basic human rights to freely express themselves and to hold their government accountable. The freedom of expression as enshrined in Section 39 (1) of the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is a necessary tool in the fight against corruption. Buhari has made tackling corruption his administration’s key priority and the best way to end corruption is by respecting the constitutional right to freedom of speech. Any administration that condones systematic human rights abuses and civil society crackdowns pose serious erosion of national peace and security. 

When government increasingly control and restrict freedoms, it shrinks the civic space for effective citizens engagement and block meaningful participation of citizens in democratic governance weakening social contract between government and their citizens, likely making violence an alternative to addressing grievances.

According to statistics, 29.3 million Nigerians majorly young people use social media across Nigeria. The role of social media is critical in promoting good governance and controlling corruption, it raises public awareness about corruption, its causes and consequences as well a platform where citizens reports incidence of corruption. The use of social media has exposed corrupt officials, prompted investigations by official bodies.

As part of commemorating the International Anti-corruption and Human Rights week, we are calling on Nigerian lawmakers to ensure the laws protecting human rights are properly enforced, so citizens can peacefully criticise the bad governance without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanctions.  I am also urging civil society organisation, media and every anti-corruption actor to #uniteagainstcorruption.

Keshi, programme officer at YIAGA AFRICA, can be reached via [email protected] and tweets @tracykeshi