It's a thing of marvel when I hear of freedom of speech and the reality surrounding this right in my country. The question is: can our right to free speech truly be taken from us? Are we, as individuals, genuinely free to voice our opinions, or are we merely silenced by the fear of repercussions? When I read this prompt, my mind went straight to Sunny Neji, who sang "Nigeria Chagachaga." This was an artist who was expressing the struggles the masses are facing and the hope the citizens have.
Yeah, he was able to express himself by pouring out his mind on the corrupt nature of the country and crying out for change. But just so we know that we practice democracy with our mouths, he didn't go scot-free after expressing his feelings through the song.
That song’s lyrics were a clear definition of what Nigeria was then and still is: standing openly to voice out his pains on government policies and corruption. His life was threatened, and that open expression killed his career. This situation is a clear view of the limits of free speech in Nigeria, especially for artists and public figures who dare to critique the status quo.
It's one thing for freedom of speech to be boldly written in the constitution, but it's a completely different thing in reality. This raises an important point about the kind of free speech a country that practices "democracy" operates under.
It's one thing to speak your mind, and it's another thing to be scared of what awaits in the aftermath. There could be legal consequences, like what happened to Sunny Neji; it could be prison sentence, among other things. These factors can make one choose silence over expression.
The threat of repercussions for speaking against the government looms larger even in our current democratic era. Many who have given voices to those whose voices are unheard end up imprisoned. Witnessing all these has made many prefer to remain silent, even in situations that require voices to be heard.
This feeling of "it's better for me to keep quiet than put myself and my family in trouble" undermines citizens' rights to free speech. In the case of Sunny Neji, those who see the truth but refuse to recognize it as such would tag him as an unpatriotic citizen, and with what happened to him and others who are not scared of what comes later, all these have made many individuals stop voicing out on anything related to political or social matters.
The fear of what follows after makes freedom of speech something for the few who are ready to face the consequences. The only way a country can address some systemic problems is through the voices of the masses, and that's where the importance of voicing out plays a vital role in shaping the country for the better.
We can only be aware of the masses' problems when they voice out; the awareness is what would bring about change. While free speech is one of the fundamental human rights, the fear of what follows after being heard has made many choose silence over expression.
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These days people don't talk, when they do they just say what needs to be heard and leave the rest for their own safety..
That's an unfortunate reality of the time. You can ony exercise the right to freedom of speech only when you are not raising your voice against the status quo