Join us in a campaign in support of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill

It has been four months since Nigeria’s Digital Rights and Freedom Bill (DRFB) was passed by the Senate, following passage by the House of Representatives. We are worried that since the passage in March, the National Assembly is yet to transmit the Bill to the Presidency for the presidential assent. Many Bills passed after DRFB have been transmitted to the president for his assent.

We are embarking on a campaign to encourage the national assembly leadership to expedite actions on the transmission of the Bill. The campaign would be run on social media throughout next week, that is July 23 to 28, by 11:00 am WAT every day.  The 2019 elections are months away and we would love to see the Bill signed into law before the election fever takes over.

We would really appreciate if you can join the campaign and use the tweet draft below. The tweets can also be converted to Facebook and Instagram posts.

Pictures for Campaign: Here you can find infographics that explain the provision of the Bill. Please use and share at will. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i4MdOKeJlK6iHD3ZfPy41UrVfZuYOePv

Tweet draft

1. The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill #HB490 was passed by @NGRSenate on March 13, 2018. The Bill was earlier passed by the @HouseNGR in December 2017. 4 Months after passage, the Bill is yet to be transmitted to the @NGRPresident for assent.#DigitalRightsBill #HB490

 

2. The delay in transmitting the Bill to the Presidency is unnerving as it is unnecessary. The @nassnigeria, led by @bukolasaraki and @yakubdogara, must complete the amazing work it started by ensuring the Bill is sent to the President immediately. #DigitalRightsBill  #HB490

 

3. The Bill provides for the protection of human rights online, protect internet users from infringement of their fundamental freedoms and guarantee the application of human rights for digital platform users. #DigitalRightsBill #HB490 @nassnigeria @bukolasaraki @yakubdogara

 

4. The bill seeks to guarantee human rights within the context of emerging innovative technologies, security concerns, increasing citizen participation in governance and democratic processes.   #DigitalRightsBill #HB490 @nassnigeria @bukolasaraki @yakubdogara

 

5. The bill is a potpourri of conventional rights aimed at making online spaces rights-inclusive and is an attempt at balancing the friction between security and human rights in the digital age.    #DigitalRightsBill #HB490 @nassnigeria @bukolasaraki and @yakubdogara

 

6. The Digital Rights & Freedom bill strengthens users’ trust & has been lauded as a step in the right direction because of the value it brings to the digital economy and the rights of people of  Nigeria.  #DigitalRightsBill #HB490 @nassnigeria @bukolasaraki @yakubdogara

 

7. As the world looks up to @NGRPresident, @MBuhari to sign the #DigitalRightsBill, we call on Senate President @bukolasaraki & House Speaker @yakubdogara to ensure the immediate transmission of this most important Bill to President @MBuhari. #DigitalRightsBill #HB490

The campaign starts on Monday, July 23 and ends Saturday, July 28. We hope you would join us throughout the six days.

For more information on this release, please send a mail to Sodiq Alabi via [email protected].