The Voice: It was written in Section 39 of The Nigerian Constitution.

I have said this over and over again: there is freedom of speech, but the freedom after speech is not guaranteed; it depends on who you exercise your freedom on. How friends, let us have a heart-to-heart conversation on this topic, and I will be talking from the perspective of being a Nigerian. In our great country, Nigeria, we believe we have the freedom to speak our mind, to express our opinions, and to speak up for what we believe in, but the truth is that, as citizens, we are scared of what might become of us when we speak, so this fear keeps us silent most of the time.

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You asked me, "Can our right to free speech be taken from us?" Well, my answer is yes, but before I tell you why it would be rude for me to talk to you without introducing myself first. My name is Fashatioluwa, the one known to be the alien on the hive, the man from Mars. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now let's continue.

My answer to this question, "Can Dem really take our right to free speech from us?" to which I said "yes," is because there are some powerful people fit that can intimidate us, threaten us, or try to silence us with force. This has been happening since the days of Fela Kuti. The man sang a lot of songs about the oppressed, and they tried to silence him in so many places. The problem now is that if there is only one person doing the talking, it would be very easy to silence the voice, but when it is done as a whole, with the people coming together to become one voice, then it is hard to silence.

When we choose to stay silent because we are scared of the issue that might come out of it or punishment we might face, it will then look like the powerful ones are oppressing us or don't want us to express ourselves. We as citizens have the right to speak up, to criticize bad government policies, to demand change, and to hold our leaders accountable, especially when we speak as one. If we allow fear to hold us down, then we might feel like our rights are being trampled upon, but the fact remains that we are just scared to speak up.

As a Nigerian, I have seen how speaking up can lead to positive change. Taking about the End Sars protest, the death of the popular music (Mohbad), and so on. Our voices can inspire others, create movements, and push for progress. I am not saying it would be easy, but we must gather the courage to speak out together for our voice to be held in justice, corruption, and oppression. It is already stated in our constitution, "Section 39. Right to freedom of expression and the press. By Nigerian Constitution, March 19, 2014, 1. (1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information."

In conclusion, our right to freedom of speech can be taken away from us as individuals, but as collective citizens of the country, that is not possible for our right to remain strong and famous. Thanks for reading.