BY AGENCY REPORT, DECEMBER 2, 2021 | 10:55 AM
Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, says “lawful intercept” allows President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to breach the personal data of Nigerians for security reasons.
According to Mr Pantami, before the NDPR of 2019, the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 provides for “lawful intercept,’’ only effected when a security institution establishes a prima facie case of a crime.
“Otherwise, the confidentiality of citizens’ communications and correspondences were guaranteed,’’ Mr Pantami added.
The minister’s spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, adding that Mr Pantami said this while addressing the world forum of ministers in London.
This year’s ministers’ Future Tech Forum is titled, ‘The Future of Trust in Data as a Force for Good’.
He disclosed that the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019 was in full effect to build trust between the government and the governed, with non-compliance attracting stiff penalties.
“Nigeria already has some policies in place to ensure the protection of citizens’ data and to also build trust between government and citizens. There is also a subsidiary legislation called the guidelines for processing personal data, which gives impetus to the NDPR and assurance of confidentiality to citizens,” Mr Pantami added.
He also explained that protecting citizens’ data in Nigeria is not just secondary legislation but a constitutional requirement.
“Government also invested in creating awareness among the citizenry to enable understanding of both the regulation and government’s willingness to adhere to the dictates of law regarding confidentiality,” he stressed.
The minister disclosed that Mr Buhari’s regime had engaged the services of Data Protection Compliance officers (DPCOs) to create awareness further.
The DPCOs, he said, were also to serve as middlemen between the government and aggrieved citizens in addressing breaches where they may occur.
Mr Pantami also noted that data collection played a significant role in aiding the government’s proactiveness in curtailing and managing the COVID-19 challenge in Nigeria.
NAN
Conflict Reporting is dangerous and risky. Our reporters constantly face life-threatening challenges, sometimes surviving ambushes, kidnap attempts and attacks by the whiskers as they travel and go into communities to get authentic and firsthand information. But we dare it every day, nonetheless, in order to keep you informed of the true situation of the victims, the trends in the conflicts and ultimately help in peace building processes. But these come at huge cost to us. We are therefore appealing to you to help our cause by donating to us through any of the following means. You can also donate working tools, which are even more primary to our work. We thank you sincerely as you help our cause.
Alternatively, you can also email us on
info@yen.ng or message us
via +234 803 931 7767
26 August 2023
