The Nigerian and, by extension, African culture teaches every citizen, especially the younger or subordinates, to be civil and respectful while communicating, especially verbally, to an older person or those in authority, and hence, you are likely to have the average citizen accord you with as much respect as possible.
This can be presented either in verbal or written format and entails the right of the citizen to express himself/herself in such context and within acceptable norms or civility. Most forms of expression come in verbal or written forms, and only a few occasions are bodily exhibitions through avenues like protests. The need for freedom of speech often comes when an individual or group feels their rights and access to basic amenities (which can range from access to quality services like health, power, water, etc.) have been infringed upon and a need to raise awareness rather than suffer in silence. People can take to different avenues to air their grievances, and this could be through physical and verbal means. The media could be through petitions, social media like X (formerly Twitter), press conferences, etc.
I think this is where the problem of infringement commenced. Just as the media dishes out uncensored information to the public, some information is circulated to the public without strong evidence of genuineness or civility. Understandably, people get frustrated and want to air their opinions, but this is often done wrongly or with limited curb or control of overwhelming emotions, and thus, they end up castigating the other party with unacceptable tones or words that malign the integrity or perception of such to the public. No doubt, speech should contain the truth and not slanderous words to undermine the integrity of the party it is directed to. I had a verbal clash with an older person some months ago who, however, was my junior. He had faulted in his discharge of duties, and in my attempt to correct him, he said some words that were not offensive but improper, especially as they related to the office management. When the matter was tabled before the office management, advice from a senior colleague to the junior officer struck a lasting impact on me, and this is what was said: "Never say what you cannot put down in black and white'.
This simply refers to the individual or group to whom a speech is directed. When we engage in speech or dialogue, it is crucial to know that our words would have impact and significant meaning, i.e., the other party or recipient of the words has logical reasoning to listen, review, and take to corrections as needed. The values and dispositions of the recipient would determine the tone and type of speech that is passed across. As much as words should be said freely, you would not want to say hurtful or derogatory words to individuals or groups who lack emotions or empathy, as that may further result in infringement of the right to speech in addition to other rights that may be deprived to the speaker(s).
For the majority of Nigerians, it is common knowledge that we are a long suffering populace, and for many instances where people who spoke against the government have been picked up by the security agents in a society where the rulers manipulate the law to their favors, silence may be wisdom. Freedom of speech surely should be promoted, but that should be upheld where value for life exists (unfortunately that does not apply to Nigeria). The just concluded National Independence Day celebrated nationwide revealed the readiness of the sitting government to arrest and detain any individual or group seen to voice any form of grievances by stationing at different locations, armed officers of the law. Who then would want to express freedom of speech when those supposed to protect citizens have been authorized to infringe on fundamental human rights?
I'm certain you have a few inputs, and I'd be glad if you could drop them in the comments section. Thank you for reading.
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It's only unfortunate that after one finish voicing out their mind, their safety is no longer guaranteed. Sometimes I wonder how things have become so bad but then it is well.
Yeah, it's quite bad
Freedom of expression is one of the most important rights in the world and we must preserve it
You're very correct