Tuesday 8 December 2015

Senate will go ahead with anti-social media bill – Spokesman

Senate
The Senate has declared that no amount of propaganda will deter it from treating the anti-social media bill, also known as the anti-frivolous petition bill.
It said this was necessary to allow citizens “shape its final outcome as there is an elaborate process which the bill must undergo before it becomes a law”.
Last Wednesday, the bill seeking to curb frivolous petitions, false allegations and statements in the social media passed second reading.
“Where any person in order to circumvent this law makes any allegation and or publishes any statement, petition in any paper, radio, or any medium of whatever description, with malicious intent to discredit or set the public against any person or group of persons, institutions of government, he shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment term of two years or a fine of N4m,” the bill states.
“Where any person, through text message, tweets, Whatsapp or through any social media post any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the public against any person and group of persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established by law shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for two years or a fine of N2m or both fine and imprisonment.”
The bill further stated that a petitioner must have a sworn affidavit to back up his claim in a petition.
Reacting on Sunday, Senate spokesman, Aliyu Sabi, said that some of the attacks on the bill “emanated from misconception and misunderstanding of the objective which is meant to protect all individuals and institutions, including journalists and social media users.”
“The senate is committed to freedom of speech and a fully inclusive and participatory democracy. The process of passing a bill is comprehensive and provide for inputs to be taken from all and sundry.
“The first stage is merely to read the short title of the bill. The second stage is purely to debate the general principles.
“The next stage is committal of the bill to appropriate committee or committees for further detailed legislative action where the details, intendment and clause by clause implications of the bill are dissected by the committee.
“This stage also involves public hearing in which members of the public, civil society, non-governmental organizations and all interested parties for or against the bill have the opportunity to shape and influence its content.
“The outcome from this committee stage is what will be finalised and then represented to the chamber for clause by clause consideration and approval or disapproval by the senate.
“Thereafter, if the bill is approved, then the clean version of the bill is forwarded to the house of representatives for concurrence or otherwise.
“Accordingly, the senate wants to re-assure the public about this. So, all those who are either for or against this bill or its part and any other one have ample opportunities to reshape it,” he said.
He assured that the eighth senate was conscious of its responsibility to the people and would not do anything that would stifle participation and inclusion.
“We will always ensure we pass laws, which meet best practices across the world and indeed democratic scrutiny. Suggesting that the senate wants to pass a law not even practiced in China etc is being mischievous,” he added.
“This senate is people-centred, pro-poor and participatory. We will always act in the best interest of the citizenry. In this regard, we are totally committed to performing our duties and discharging our responsibilities without let or hindrance.
“All those spreading hate campaigns as a result of the anti-frivolity bill, hauling insults at and making derogatory comments on senators of the federal republic of Nigeria and the institution of the Senate are advised to key into the elaborate legislative process that a bill must pass through before becoming law if they are interested in shaping the outcome of the bill.
“This is the right way to go and part of the change we all aspire for our democracy.


“The eighth senate is totally committed to protecting the liberty of all Nigerians and the independence of the Senate and the legislative arm of government as we deepen our democratic journey.”
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Beijing smog ‘red alert’: Schools and businesses to completely shut down as Chinese capital issues first ever extreme warning

Beijing has issued its first ever “red alert” over the city’s smog, with the Chinese capital going into shutdown in an attempt to protect people from the deadly air.
It is the first time ever that the highest possible state of caution has been declared in the city, which has more than 21 million residents.
The warning means schools will have to close down and construction and other industry in the capital will be limited.
The order will last from Tuesday morning local time until midday on Thursday, when the weather is expected to change and blow away the smog.Smog levels are actually lowe than they have been in recent weeks. But authorities expect an extreme amount of pollution over the coming days, and have imposed the order to ensure safety during that time.
The city had already been in a state of orange alert, which meant some construction and industry was being curbed. The city had also issued a ruling that said cars with odd and even number plates would be stopped from driving on alternate days.
In some parts of Beijing, people can only see around 200m. The air is also packed with poisonous particles that mean that people could become ill simply from being outside.
Air pollution monitors showed areas of Beijing had more than 256 micrograms per cubic metre of the poisonous particles. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says anything over 25 micrograms is considered unsafe.
The poisonous smog in Beijing is caused by the burning of coal for industry and heating, and huge amounts of dust from the city’s many construction sites. The problem is being made yet worse by high humidity and low wind.
Last week, Greenpeace called on Beijing to issue a red alert, after four days of what it called “Airpocalypse”.
“The city is blanketed in a thick, choking smog that has covered an area of North China the size of Spain and Beijing’s most famous landmarks have been completely obscured by the yellow haze,” wrote Zhang Kai on the group’s blog.
Greenpeace praised the Orange Alert that had been declared for putting restrictions on construction and industry, but said that it was “clearly not enough”.
“At this level of response, schools and kindergartens can remain open, meaning that children are risking their health in order to attend class and car emissions haven’t been restricted at all,” the group wrote.
SOURCE: independent.co.uk
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Yushau A. Shuaib On Boko Haram December Deadline

It was neither a vacation trip nor a tour for seasonal ceremony. It was a journey to attend a crisis communication seminar for humanitarian workers and journalists covering disasters which was held in Maiduguri in the first week of December 2015.
My family members could not dissuade me from the trip that hopefully would provide me another opportunity to assess one of the Boko Haram worst-hit cities in Nigeria.
The flight was smooth from Abuja to Maiduguri but I was glued to the window to see if I would sight soldiers and terrorists engaging in shoot-out… At the same time, the dreadful feeling that Boko Haram members could shoot down our aircraft with their home manufactured rockets lurked in a corner of the mind.
Driving into the town, it was easy to observe that the city wasn’t bubbling as most roads were deserted, exotic mansions abandoned and fine hotels had low patronage even with their generous discounts on accommodation.
I used the opportunity of the seminar to interact with some of the highly patriotic and exceptional Nigerian journalists who have been covering the war on terror with great responsibility. For the national interest, they have observed self-censorship against sensational reporting.
On a visit to the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, the sights of orphans and widows were quite disturbing even though NEMA and other stakeholders are taking good care of them.
Passing through security check-points, the sacrifice of Nigerian troops, especially young soldiers in their zeal and determination to defeat Boko Haram terrorists was obvious from their faces. While some of them are bachelors with parents, others are married with children they left at home to defend Nigeria.
Incidentally, almost everyone was concerned about the presidential directive for the military to end Boko Haram this December. During the inauguration of his service chiefs on July 13, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the military to end the Boko Haram terrorism in three months.
Immediately after the directive, the national security adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno led service and security chiefs to the frontline to seek the cooperation of community leaders, traditional rulers and pressure groups to support the new drive against war on terror. He also visited and commiserated with IDPs and reassured them that the war would soon be over.
The chief of army staff, General Tukur Buratai has not led from the back, he was in the warfront by actively participating in some of the operations where terrorists were either captured or killed. He has so far spent most of his time on the battlefield. The chief of air staff, Air Mashall Sadique Abubakar, has personally commanded fighter jets in the war on terror to motivate fighter-pilots into putting in their best.
The chief of defence staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin has ensured effective coordination and cohesion in the operation so far through mechanism of inter-agency collaboration, as the chief of naval staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas has also confirmed that special forces from the Navy are actively involved in the operation.
The military has so far destroyed dozens of Boko Haram camps and freed more than 1,000 kidnap victims since inauguration of President Buhari. Nevertheless, there is the fear that the military may not be able to end Boko Haram by the deadline. The executive xecretary of Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), Air Commodore Anas recently disclosed that there is nothing wrong in imposing targets on the military, but due to the asymmetric warfare which Boko Haram is prosecuting against civilian “soft targets” the December deadline is unrealistic.
There are also worrisome reports of fresh kidnap of dozens of girls and burning of buildings in Bam village of Yobe state, reports of missing and fleeing soldiers in Galtumari town in Borno state, destruction of military base in Gulak, Adamawa, and media allegations that terrorists snatched military trucks, artillery guns that were bought by the previous administration.
During private conversations with stakeholders, many expressed beliefs that concerted efforts are required through credible intelligence to address the insecurity in the North-East.
Beyond the “body language” theory and political grandstanding, others were of the opinion that some tougher actions taken by the past administration could be deployed in curtailing the excesses of terrorists. For instance, a journalist observed that even though many doubted the sincerity of the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, when he sought and obtained approval for postponement of 2015 general election to enable the military to degrade Boko Haram and ensure maximum security of voters, all known terrorists’ camps were destroyed before the emergence of new government on May 29. The Sambisa forest was stormed by “Special ‘M’ forces” and about 300 kidnapped women and children were freed, 22 terrorist occupied towns in three states were recovered, and Boko Haram could not disrupt the elections.
It is public knowledge that some of the towns recovered from terrorists during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan include Abadam, Askira, Baga, Bama, Biu, Damboa, Gwoza, Hong, Konduga, Kukawa, Marte, Madagali, Michika, Monguno, Mubi. In fact, an official statement by the Defence Headquarters on March 16, 2015, with reference number DHQ/ABJ/901/32/DDI announced the routing of terrorists from Bama after massive casualty was inflicted on the terrorists before the remnant fled. The statement further stated that the Chadian partners in the MNJTF were mandated to pursue the terrorists who were heading for the borders after being dislodged from Bama. Gujba, Gulani, Goniri, Buni Yadi were all retaken by Nigerian troops within the month, the statement concluded. It seems Nigerians have forgotten all these.
If the military fails to meet the December deadline, we shouldn’t blame the previous administration of Jonathan or the current government of Buhari, but encourage the military to improve the tempo. After all, the Nigerian troops have succeeded in the past and are succeeding now. We should therefore avoid taking actions that would rubbish the integrity of critical institutions including security and the media.
Yushau Abdulhameed Shuaib is a Nigerian author, public relations practitioner and freelance commentator on national and international issues. He tweets @YAShuaib.
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