Nigeria's army has found one of the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in the northeast of the country over two years ago.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Video - Nigerians stock up essentials in preparations of union strike
Nigeria’s labour court has barred workers unions from striking against soaring fuel prices. Still, citizens are bracing for country-wide protests. Nigerians are rushing to stock up on supplies.
Video - Oil production in Nigeria falls by 40 percent
Nigeria oil production has fallen by almost 40 percent to1.4 million barrels a day due to militants attacks in facilities in the Delta region.
Nigeria withdraws anti-social media bill
Lawmakers in Nigeria have decided to withdraw a ‘Frivolous Petitions Bill’ widely seen as a guise to restrict freedom of expression and gag Nigerians on social media.
Officially named “an act to prohibit frivolous petitions; and other matters connected therewith”, the bill was positioned as an attempt to prevent Nigerians from maliciously discrediting public office holders and also prescribed jail terms and fines of up to $10,000 for offenders. But after a failure to win enough votes on the floor of the Senate, the bill was officially withdrawn.
It is not entirely surprising that the bill failed to become a reality. It had resulted in severe backlash from Nigerians, on and off social media. Bukola Saraki, the senate president, had hinted that the bill would not be passed back in February when he described it as “dead on arrival” at a Social Media Week Lagos event.
In the last few years, social media has become a crucial outlet for a new generation of Nigerians who, unlike generations before them, are keen to demand more accountability and transparency in government through increasing political conversations on Twitter.
Officially named “an act to prohibit frivolous petitions; and other matters connected therewith”, the bill was positioned as an attempt to prevent Nigerians from maliciously discrediting public office holders and also prescribed jail terms and fines of up to $10,000 for offenders. But after a failure to win enough votes on the floor of the Senate, the bill was officially withdrawn.
It is not entirely surprising that the bill failed to become a reality. It had resulted in severe backlash from Nigerians, on and off social media. Bukola Saraki, the senate president, had hinted that the bill would not be passed back in February when he described it as “dead on arrival” at a Social Media Week Lagos event.
In the last few years, social media has become a crucial outlet for a new generation of Nigerians who, unlike generations before them, are keen to demand more accountability and transparency in government through increasing political conversations on Twitter.
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