Senate And The Threat To Free Speech

The Senate President, David Mark, last week threatened to
pursue the sack of a Federal Ministers accused of making unguarded public
statements. He actually urged President Goodluck Jonathan to caution his
ministers from making unguarded utterances.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku had made a
statement on the now suspended introduction of the N5,000 note, that the
Senate’s resolutions were advisory and not binding on the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are concerned over
the position of the Senate on this common fact. It is a statement that
is not only common place, but accords with the right of any Nigerian to make.
The action of the Senate clearly
translates to an attack on the freedom of speech in Nigeria.

While we agree that public officers need to weigh their
statements against  require decorum and
high sense of responsibly, we do not see where the minister went wrong here.
Besides, the constitution of the Federal Republic and the tenets democracy
which we practice also guarantee freedom of speech in Nigeria.

If a minister cannot speak what he believes to be true, then
the ordinary Nigerian cannot possibly air his views on any national issue. We
believe that what Labaran  Maku said was
a statement of fact, except of course, that the legislature wants to give the
impression that it dictates to the president.

For the Senate to take offence over utterances that state a
clear constitutional fact suggests a much deeper problem in the polity. The
threat to freedom of speech is what no Nigerian should take lightly. If and when
elected officers become intolerant of mere facts, the consequence of making
demands on them can become too grave.

The Senate is expected to assist the Executive in the
running of the ship of  state. It is
equally expected to exercise its oversight functions in the right manner. But
it is not to dictate to the Presidency or fraudulently assume the leadership of
the country.

Even so, if the Senate fails to agree with the statement of
the minister, it should respond to the issue and not to attack the person of
the minister with abusive language.

Apart from the sanctity of the concept of freedom of speech,
even the office of a minister deserves some measure of respect and honour, and
not to be made to look like that of the office of a house-help, whose job can
be taken away just like that.

From the outburst on the issue, the suspicion is that the
National Assemblys intends to intimidate and cow the Presidency  rather than see themselves as working for the
people in concert with the executive.

Only recently the House of Representatives commanded the
President to sack the Director-General of the Nigeria Securities and Exchange
Commission, Arunma Oteh. Already some honorable members are taking it personal
and the hostilities being extended to the President is very clear. This must
stop.

Indeed, it is worrisome that the National Assembly
would  move swiftly against any  person or official that stands up to them.
Yet, they do everything possible to protect any of their own, even when such a
member would  have conducted himself in a
very questionable light.

While,  public
officers need to know the limits of their powers and privileges, There is need
for real political education for the citizenry. This is part of what the
Information Minister did when he made the statement, so that Nigerians would
understand why the President may prefer to keep in view some resolutions of the
house.

It should be stated that the freedom of speech as enshrined
in the constitution is for every Nigerian. The people must rise quickly and nip
in the bud the rising threat to free speech before things get out of hands
again.