By Hamza Ibrahim Chinade.
The Curbing Hate and Dangerous Speech in Nigeria Project team of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has paid an advocacy to Alhaji Rabiu Yusuf, the Commissioner of Nigeria Police Force, Kano state command. The team was led by Isah Garba, Senior Programmes Officer (Peace and Conflict) and coordinator of the project. Briefing the commissioner, Isah Garba explained that hate speech has become rampant especially on social media and that remains a serious threat to peaceful coexistence of a multicultural and religious country like Nigeria, hence the need for intervention like the one put in place by CITAD i.e “Monitoring and Countering Hate and Dangerous Speech” to mitigate threats and sensitize social and traditional media users on the dangers of making hate speech. Garba urged the police to identify prominent hate speakers especially along religious and ethnic line and engage them through sensitization and other professional strategies that the command knows better in order to get them stop hate or provocative speech that may lead to violence.

Responding, the Police Commissioner commended CITAD for the project and the visit that he said will open doors of collaboration between the organization and the command, he said the police has measures of checkmating hate speeches and is using it’s public relations unit to sensitize people on violence provoking comments or utterances emphasizing the command’s readiness to partner with CITAD in that area. The commissioner received the visiting delegation in the presence of the command’s Public Relations Officer DSP Magaji Musa Majiya, Personal Assistant to the Commissioner DSP M.A Hassan and ASP Abubakar Dutsan Ma. The Commissioner was presented with publications of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD).

From Uche Uche Damaturu.

In an effort to nip in the bud causes of violence that has bedeviled the country which, apart from the destruction of lives and properties, slows down meaningful development, the Centre for Information Technology and Development has trained 40 teachers.
Speaking to our reporter in an interview shortly after the end of the training ceremony, which took place at the GSS Damaturu, the programme officer, peace and conflict CITAD, Isah Garba, said the essence of the training is to provide the advisers with entrepreneur skills that would help them in fighting some drivers of conflicts which he said, is poverty, in the effort to ensure that peace rains in the society.
He stated that by using ICT skill, the student for peace could use social media in sending peace messages, and countering hate and dangerous speeches online, and thus help to promote peace in the country.
He revealed that CITAD has established peace clubs in six secondary schools in the state and appointed selected advisers in the schools and they in turn also train others in the activities of CITAD.
These advisers and students are earlier taught the techniques of countering dangerous speeches or preventing them tactfully by interfering with this process in any of several ways that includes inhibiting the speech, limiting its dissemination, undermining the credibility of the speaker, or inoculating the audience against the speech so that it is less influential, or dangerous.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

A Non Governmental Organization, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has condemned the thread by some by some Arewa youths for Igbo to vacate Northern Nigeria.
The Senior Programmes Officer of CITAD, Isah Garba stated this in a press statement made available to newsmen in Bauchi on Thursday.
It said “CITAD read a statement asserted by some groups that include Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students’ Forum and Arewa Emancipation Network yesterday during a press conference they jointly held in Kaduna threatening the Igbos residing in northern part of the country to vacate the region by 1st October, 2017.
“In view of that, we want to categorically state that we condemn this statement in strong terms and make it clear that this view did not represent the views of the millions of people in the northern Nigeria.
“Specifically we want call and draw the attention of these ‘youth’ to note that this is not the right way to address the problem and this will rather escalate rather than solve problem. They should also know that many Igbo both in the north and even the Igbo land did not subscribe to the idea of separating the country nor are they party to the Biafra agitation.
According to Garba, this is an issue that needs constructed yet diligent approach by the government not by individuals or groups of some few individuals. Also there is nowhere in the world where two wrongs make a right, therefore, if others are advocating dividing the country, it is wrong for others in the other end to demand for the eviction of any other person from any region in the country.
He said such statements fall into the categories of dangerous speech adding that it is repugnant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and even the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He thereby called on the government not to consider such actions and reactions as trivial issues as such have full potentials of catalyzing violence and may infringe the rights of the targeted victims.
“The government should find immediate and proactive measure of addressing such issues before be fall out of control as well as Be objective and unbiased in handling such issues
CITAD urged general public to remain calm and should not allow themselves to be used by some few individuals in their attempt to achieve political interest or any other interest best known to them saying “Both the target audience and victims of the statement should not react to such statement either in offensive or in defense,” he urged.

By Etuka Sunday

Civil Society Organisation (NGO), under the auspices of Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) yesterday raised a voice against what it described as digital marginalization of women in Nigeria.
CITAD said, a research conducted in four communities namely Doganjiji and Azare in Bauchi state and Dakata and Zaura Baba Kano state showed low digital usage by women in the North due to several factors, therefore, there was need to bridge the gap.
Speaking at Civil Society Consultative Meeting on the Internet Code of Practice Development in Nigeria, organised by CITAD, its Executive Director, said, women should be given equal right to access information in the internet especially those at the rural areas.
He said, the Nigerian government, through the telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was set to develop a Code of Practice for internet usage in the country and given the importance of internet to critical development, civil society would like to make input to the process.
According to him, in order to generate the input, CITAD brought different civil society organisations together to deliberate on the issue and come up with positions that they can submit to the NCC process.
The objectives of the proposed code among others are to protect the rights and interests of internet service providers and consumers, provide jointly agreed and effective solutions to the issues of discriminatory traffic management practices;
Ensure adequate safeguards are put in place by service providers against abuses such as unsolicited messages; outline the obligations of Service Providers in relation to offensive and potentially harmful content for minors and vulnerable audiences.
Also speaking in a presentation, the Chairperson, Nigeria Internet Governance Forum/West African Internet Governance Forum, Mrs Mary Uduma said, there is a money set aside by the federal government through NCC USP Fund running into billions of naira which is not utilised.
She advised that communities should identify their needs and approach the Federal Government through the NCC.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

A Non Governmental Organisation, Center for Information Technology and Development ,CITAD, has launched a book on how communities across states of the North East and elsewhere cope, repel or rise from the effect of Boko Haram insurgency.
The book, “Understanding Community Resilience In The Context Of Boko Haram Insurgency In Nigeria” was published by CITAD with the support of United States Institute for Peace (USIP) and was edited by Jibrin Ibrahim, Chom Bagu and Y.Z Ya’u.
The book was divided into 11 chapters that dwell on many areas by various contributors.
In his welcome address, the Research and Communication Assistant, CITAD Hamza Ibrahim who represented the Executive Director, Y.Z Ya’u said that the book was the product of a two years research by the center supported by the United States Institute of Peace.
He said that the reseach was carried out to ascertain factors which enable communities to cope with the challenges they faced as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency across the communities studies in the north eastern states and elsewhere.
According to him, Kano and Jigawa states were also studied alongside four north eastern states of Borno, Yobe , Adamawa and Bauchi.
He said that 17 communities were selected and studied across all the states where the research was carried out.
On her part, one of the researchers and a lecturer with Bauchi State University, Dr. Asabe Sadiya Mohammed while giving an overview of the research contained in the book noted that various factors were considered to arrive on its findings.
According to her, the communities studied in Bauchi where she carried out her research were selected based on some categories based on their strength, location as well as how they were affected by the insurgency.
While speaking, Yunusa Ado of Bauchi State Ministry of Religious Affairs and Community Development said that the research carried out will will in a way help Nigeria articulate policies to tackle not only the Boko Haram menace but the widespread insecurity in the country.