Labour group commends Buhari over anti-social media bill stand; advises NASS to revisit Minimum wage act, PIB

A labour group, the Textile Union/Chairman IndustriALL Global Union, Sub Sahara Africa, has commended President Muhammad Buhari for dissociating himself from the proposed anti-social media bill presently before the senate.

This is also as the group warned President Buhari to ‘be weary of legislative mischief aimed at undermining his promise to deepen democracy.’

A statement by Issa Aremu, the General Secretary of the labour group, urged the Senate to give urgent attention to long-pending 2010 Minimum Wage Act due for a review in October this year and Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which has been gathering dust since 1999.

“We commend President Muhammadu Buhari for promptly distancing his administration from the proposed notorious Social Media Bill undergoing curious accelerated hearing at the Senate. We also call on Saraki-led Senate to stop this legislative exercise in futility which has commendably elicited avoidable mass national and international condemnation and put the Senate already in the crisis of credibility on the defensive.

“The point cannot be overstated; elected officers at all levels must not criminalize the demands of the citizens for accountability however crude and imperfect the demands are presented either by social or mainstream media. Nigeria already suffers laws- overload on libel. One more law on social media will be a legal overkill. Whoever is not prepared to be accountable again and again relying on legislative cover has no business in public space.

Continuing, the labour group said: “The 8th Assembly inherited scores of bills which if passed would complement the efforts of PMB to deliver on the change promises not unsolicited Social media bill. For instance, two critical bills begging for 8th Senate’s urgent attention are the 2010 Minimum Wage Act due for a review in October this year and Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which has been gathering dust since 1999.

“The Senators should avoid alienation from those who elected them, buy in into the change agenda and pass selfless legislations for national agenda instead of pushing emergency self-serving laws. Nigeria and Nigerians are desperate for promised development and prosperity and only legislations that foster development agenda make sense at this time of perennial fuel scarcity and non-payment of miserable wages of working men and women.

In addition, the labour organization said: “President Muhammadu Buhari should be weary of legislative mischief aimed at undermining his promise to deepen democracy. The controversial Social media Bill is a mischievous caricature of the discredited Decree 4 of 1984. No elected official campaigned with a promise to take Nigerians on the road long rejected under military dictatorship. As an affiliate of the NLC, we will join any mass action of the NLC to defend freedom of expression and above all we will support any mass action for progressive legislations for good governance,”