Nigerian House of Representatives Proposes Increased Fine for Flag Defacement

For the protection of national symbols, the Nigerian House of Representatives is seeking to raise the penalty for defacing the Nigerian flag from N100 to N100,000.

The proposed amendment to the Flag and Coats of Arms Act was presented by Sada Soli and approved for a second reading on Wednesday.

The current Act prohibits the defacing or improper handling of the National Flag, but the proposed amendment aims to increase fines for individual violators to N100,000 and for corporate organizations to N1,000,000.

In the case of a continuing offence, the fine will be N20,000 per day for individuals and N100,000 per day for corporate organizations.

Soli emphasized the need for the amendment, citing the common practice of flag defacement and the inadequacy of the existing law to deter such abuse.

The motion received unanimous support and has been referred to relevant committees for further action.

This proposed amendment to the Flag and Coats of Arms Act represents a major step forward in the protection of Nigeria’s national symbols and could serve as a deterrent to those who would deface the Nigerian flag.

If the bill is passed into law, it would signal a new era in the enforcement of respect for national symbols and the preservation of national pride.