I have always been struck by the differences in social media
usage between other countries and Nigeria. Each time one logs into Facebook to
make comments about local issues that concern Nigeria, he notices insults
flying up and down the pages. If however, he goes to an international social
media webpage to comment, he notices the decency and guarded usage of words.
I was of the opinion that the difference was born out of ignorance,
a comparatively poorer standard of education coming from modest educational resources
here in Nigeria. Recently however, I have come to understand that this isn’t
the case. It is not poor education or ignorance. Rather, it is more of a case
of a weakness of the law. People know this and choose to abuse the judicial
loopholes. Thus social media pages, particularly those of Facebook, are always
littered with insults when it comes to the Nigerian space.
Some years back, a young man logged into Facebook and posted
abusive comments against the Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido. The
governor was traumatized and directed the young man to be arrested. So it
happened. The only problem in this case was that acceptable legal procedures
were not followed in the retribution of the young man. He was, rather,
tortured. I am sure however, the option was adopted because the governor knew
the Nigerian courts may not do something early enough, thereby allowing time
for the issue to lose steam.
When Isaiah Balat, late senator from southern Kaduna died,
somebody posted to say that the senator deserved what he got as he was the Arial
Sharon of Kaduna State. At the time, I felt that the individual should have
been approached by the law and made to explain why he made such a comment. When
my dream President of Nigeria, Nasir El Rufai lost a son in an auto crash,
somebody posted insults in place of condolences. The comments suggested that
such a fate was well deserved. I also think that the man who made that post
should have been made to explain it in a court of law.
If undeserved insults are deplorable in the real world, then
they should also be in the virtual world. The virtual world is a medium of
expression that is even more powerful than the real world. When such an insult
is posted, it is damaging to the victim just as it would be in the real world. Furthermore,
it travels far in the virtual world more than it does in the real world and we
cannot treat the internet differently from the way the rest of the world treats
it. About a year back, I learnt that the Nigerian National Assembly passed a
law to handle cases of unwarranted social media insults against leaders. It was
a brilliant footstep along the right bearing. The insults have, however,
continued to pace their way along the footpath of ignominy. The implication is
that the law has gone to bed and is sleeping ceaselessly or is even in comma.
This is a reflection of what Nigerian has always been: a theatre of legal
dormancy. It explains the situation we are in now: a climax of confusion where
you have a fracture here and as you try to seal it, another one opens over
there.
Jos the city of my birth and to which I am besotted, once
built a reputation as the most embracing city across the country. Then somebody
went too far and the police just said something like “well, the boy was having
his fun.” The result is obvious and we know it. While Jos may still be
embracing, one cannot walk without looking over his shoulder because there are
now “no-go-areas.” Along this line, if nothing is done about social media
abuses, it would grow into a monster, just as anything else does, in Nigeria,
when it is not curbed at infancy.
People should be made to justify every vile comment that is
directed at the innocent.
No comments:
Post a Comment