Governors of the 36 States of the federation have expressed opposition to death penalty for hate speech.
The governors, who were operating under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), said National Assembly must respect the views of Nigerians after holding a public hearing.
The NGF Vice Chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who fielded questions from journalists after their meeting Thursday in Abuja, said due process should be followed.
When asked whether the governors backed death penalty for hate speech, Tambuwal said, “I’m not sure I have heard any governor coming out to say he is in support of death penalty for hate speech.
“I believe the National Assembly should hold a public hearing on that bill, so that due process of lawmaking is followed, so that the views of Nigerians not just the governors will be well captured on that bill and they should respect the views of Nigerians in whatever may be the direction of debate and the eventual passage or otherwise of that bill.”
On the threat by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on strike if any governor refused to implement the N30,000 minimum wage, the governor of Sokoto State said, “Various state governments have been engaging with their branches of NLC. I am sure it is work in progress.
“Before December, all the states must have finished working out the details on the issue of minimum wage across the federation.
“We are very much committed to the welfare and wellbeing of our workforce and therefore we shall continue to ensure we do our best on what needs to be done.”
In a communique read after the meeting, the governors promised to hold a dedicated session to reach a consensus on what matters most for States and a common agenda to improve the well-being of all Nigerians.
