 The shutdown of Twitter recently by the government marks one of the latest out of numerous efforts by the federal government to stop citizens from expressing their views on certain government decisions, actions, or laws. These were views from a cross-section of Nigerians. In this next report, our correspondent Emmanuel A. E. Jenner reports that these Nigerians say governments move to shut the voices of the people remains unacceptable. These concerned Nigerians, representing various civil society groups in the country, have come together to brainstorm on several excessively harsh laws and regulations by the government which have inhibited growth and progress in the country over the years. The last to the ban, NBC Code and the Kamen Law, where quickly identified as some of the ways governments attempt to repress freedom of speech in the country. The executive director, Gliberite, are billed on by you while speaking to newsmen this close that there are 426 infractions by the federal government out of which 112 is against the media. Now, 109 hash bills are currently before the National Assembly. Currently, we have more than 9 draconian bills at the National Assembly that are a threat to not just the civic space, but to the security and the cohesion of our nationhood. And we have not allowed that to continue. We're going into 2023 and we must begin to think of how to engage as a people beyond just the voting and the politics around elections to ensure we are able to hold governments accountable to the laws and the policies that they prefer to our civic space. Stakeholders agree that somehow the federal government finds many grounds to stop freedom of speech by hiding under the excuse of insecurity. A major fallout of the NSAS is the exposure draft, which was identified as the next way the government is exploring so for the box civic action. We've seen now what they call a policy paper on ITUs. We've seen NBC Act, again broadcasting commission act that restricts the media to broadcast the truth. If the facts are against government, then NBC will censor you as a media house. What are the judiciary doing to set aside these laws? The same kamma, company alarm act that provides a civil society must report a government institution. Where does that happen? And yet judiciary is not saying anything about it. I think they have a role to play. Not just judicial, also the whole legal community, especially the Nigerian Bar Association, the lawyers have a social responsibility to ensure that these laws are made the way with the country. Legal luminaries also give their own perspective with promise to assist the Nigerians in advocacy as well as legally. Governance is a continuum, you know. On the one hand, the legislative experience is beneficial, but I can ask you the question what has been the value of the legislative experience? Because if with legislative experience we are getting draconian laws enacted, the question we then ask is how faithful have the older legislators been to the goals, aims and positive aspirations of the populace? Because if they were faithful to those aims and possible aspirations of the populace, then you would not have legislations with draconian provisions enacted. The group in a concession agreed that with more pressure on the legislature, only those laws that promote inclusiveness in governance will be passed.