WRITTEN BY QUEEN ANIGBOGU
Hate speech is any speech that elicits feelings of hatred or dislike in people. It is a derogatory remark against anybody, people, race or religion.

It is also a speech which tends to break the cord that binds us together as Nigerians.
However, on June 26, 2018, a report from Thompson Reuters Foundation, named Nigeria as the ninth most dangerous country for women to live because of human rights abuses. Before the Thompson Reuters Foundation report, another report from Brookings Institution shows Nigeria to have now overtaken India as the nation with the highest number of extremely poor people. According to the report, the number of Nigerians in extreme poverty increases by six people every minute.
Earlier, in March this year, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, said Nigerians are getting poorer, saying there is need for coherent and comprehensive economic reforms. There is also a popular saying that, “a hungry man is an angry man”.
During elections, the electorate troop out en masse to elect people they feel can represent them in government. But when the elected politicians get into office, instead of representing the people well, they turn back to represent their pockets. Thus, when the people are under pressure, they try to find a way to let out the steam and most of the times; this is done by way of speaking. And a hungry man who is angry does not speak romantic words.
Again, when a mother of five or more children, while dishing out food to her children, uses preferential treatment in sharing the food, no one expects those children to see one another through the eyes of love. Rather, that behaviour from their mother will turn out to be a breeding ground for hatred and suspicion among the siblings just like in the case of the biblical story of Jacob and his twelve sons.
So, if truly Nigerian leaders or politicians want to curtail hate speeches, then they must be ready to do the needful. They should stop paying lip service to the unity of this country and begin matching their words with actions by carrying out drastic and comprehensive economic reforms as the IMF suggested. These reforms must be holistic without preferential treatment. All parts of the country must be carried along with equal proportion.
There is also need for our leaders to look at the content of the so-called hate speeches which Nigerians throw at one another and address the issues they are agitating for. It is only a mad and irrational man that will speak against good things. When things are done properly, they attract commendations and not condemnation. Also, when those who are against a person are more than those who are for him, then there is a problem. And in such situation, what a wise person does is to find out the problem and solve it.
Issues that divide Nigerians like tribe and religion must be benched, while interests that unit us, should be allowed to take the front burner in all that we do as leaders and the led. Worthy of mention is what happened at the ongoing world cup, when Ahmed Musa of the Super Eagles scored two goals against Iceland; the whole nation erupted in joy. Tribe, religion and ethnicity all melted in the joy of that moment. This is because all that Nigerians wanted and expected of the Super Eagles that day was for a win. Nobody remembered his tribe or religion. He scored for Nigeria. Furthermore, the day Super Eagles lost to Argentina, Nigerians attacked the instagram page of the Turkish referee that officiated in that match, because Nigerians, in unison, felt cheated.
Suffice it to say that bad governance breeds negative comments. Governor Willie Obiano won his second term election, popularly termed twenty-one over twenty-one, because those that were for him were more than those against him. When those elected into position of trust are responsible, it will go a long way to reduce hate speech. However, that the leaders are not doing it right is not a license for the led to set the country on fire through negative comments or insightful words. There is need for self control and restraint on the side of the led. The masses must continue to exercise patience while using constructive criticism to bring the attention of the leaders to social issues.
Destructive criticisms will lead us to the path of disunity and destruction. The path of patriotism and dialogue is the way leaders and the led must tow at all times.

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