President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that no one should suffer injustice for calling him or any government official names.
The president made the comment while speaking at the joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, June 12.
He said, “Be tolerant and broad-minded in your legislative action regarding speech and civil liberties.
“Do not be afraid to hear an unkind word spoken against you. Some of the best advice a politician gets sometimes comes from his most ferocious opponents. We dare not seek silence because the imposed silence of repressed voices breeds chaos and ill will, not the harmonics of democracy in the long term.
“While malicious slander and libel should not go unattended, no one should bear the brunt of injustice for merely writing a bad report about me or calling me names. Democracy requires a fair degree of tolerance for harsh words and stinging insults. Call me names, call me whatever you will, and I will still call upon democracy to defend your right to do so. Mr. Senate President, Mr. Speaker, Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members.
“Our nation is not perfect, but it is strong. Our democracy is not invincible, but it is alive. And this means our dream of a prosperous, happy nation is still within reach and worth fighting for.”
