Hate Speech Is Direct Assault On Democratic Values — NHRC

The Nationwide Human Rights Fee has warned in opposition to the rising unfold of hate speech, notably because it takes new and extra harmful tendencies by way of digital applied sciences largely powered by synthetic intelligence.

Government secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu who raised the alarm on Wednesday at a spherical desk organised for journalists and stakeholders in commemoration of the Worldwide Day for Countering Hate Speech in Abuja, described the scenario as a direct assault on democratic worth and social cohesion.

Ojukwu stated hate speech doesn’t solely violates the suitable to dignity of the human particular person, but in addition impedes on one’s proper to be free from discrimination in addition to take part in public life with out worry of suppression or violence.

The manager secretary revealed that NHRC has taken vital steps to confront hate speech and its multi-polar challenges over time.

“Within the build-up to the 2023 common elections, the Fee launched the Mobilising Voters for Elections (MOVE) Mission, which targeted on selling entry, participation, and accountability. Recognising the poisonous function of hate speech in electoral processes, the MOVE Mission recognized it as a significant impediment to voter inclusion,” Ojukwu stated.

He added that the Fee additionally established the Nationwide Hate Speech Register to report incidents and tendencies throughout the nation, permitting for real-time documentation and response.

“We’ve got carried out specialised coaching for our workers nationwide to observe, and report hate speech throughout each conventional and digital media”, he revealed.

In recognising the centrality of the media in combating hate speech, Ojukwu stated the Fee has issued an advisory to journalist on the function of media in countering and reporting hate speech to assist in recognising the highly effective affect of the media, and the necessity to strengthen accountable journalism.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria stated this yr’s theme:“Hate Speech and Synthetic Intelligence”, charged residents to look at the rising intersection between expertise and human rights and challenges everybody to replicate on the double-edged nature of AI as each a device for growth and a possible amplifier of dangerous narratives.

Ojukwu recommended the Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and the complete United Nations system in Nigeria for his or her continued help and dedication to advancing human rights within the nation.

He additional reiterated that his workplace because the lead establishment charged with the safety and promotion of human rights in Nigeria, In April 2025, issued a significant Advisory Opinion on the Safety of the Proper to Freedom of Expression in Nigeria, in response to considerations in regards to the Cybercrime (Modification) Act 2024, notably Part 24 which was criticised for proscribing freedom of expression.

In her comment, the Human Proper Adviser to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms Ajuwa Kufour revealed that hate speech is on the rise worldwide, notably extra on the social media the place numerous misinformation are peddled every day.

Kufour who stated tackling hate speech has turn out to be an excellent precedence for her organisation, additionally stated they had been partnering with the NHRC to deal with the surge in hate speech each on-line and offline.

“Hate speech is on the rise worldwide. It’s extra on social media; social media has given numerous misinformation”.

“Hate speech has been became a enterprise, it’s used as a weapon to destroy. The combination between hate speech and AI may be very harmful. So tackling hate speech has turn out to be an excellent precedence for the UN”, she confused.