FOI in Nigeria’s Digital Governance: What law allows citizens to ask by Remmy Nweke - Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS

Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

This edition of Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS, by REMMY NWEKE, examines how the FOI Act empowers Nigerians to access information on telecom regulation, pricing, broadband rollout, and digital identity systems; reinforcing transparency as key to consumer rights and national digital development.

Strategic pillars of modern economy:
When conversations on transparency and accountability emerge in Nigeria, national attention often focuses on elections, budgeting, and public procurement. Yet the telecommunications and digital governance sector; one of the most strategic pillars of the modern Nigerian economy, and remains comparatively under-examined. 

This is despite the fact that decisions in this sector affect how Nigerians communicate, access financial services, participate in governance, learn, work, and interact in the digital world.

PIN writes NCC, demands Freedom of Information on private data

ITRealms:

The Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) has written a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), demanding information on its alleged self-confessed monitoring and handling of private citizens data to security agencies, reports ITRealms.

PIN in an official press statement made available to ITRealms noted that NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta was quoted by ThisDay Newspaper on October 16, 2015 to have said at an International Trade Fair in Abuja that “the commission in collaboration with telecommunication operators monitor call data of suspected kidnappers and insurgents and forward same to appropriate security operatives, as soon as they are available ….” 

The FOI request, according to the Executive Director, PIN, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, sought to understand the processes, judicial oversight involved in handing over call data of private citizens to security agencies.

The NCC, PIN also said, has never hidden its intention to monitor citizens and violate privacy rights of citizens as could be seen in its controversial draft Lawful Interception of Communication Regulation which it seeks to use to legalize the already ongoing violation of constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy of private citizen. 

ITRealms recalls that PIN already challenged the legality of using administrative procedure to limit constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens through that regulation of the NCC. 

“It is to this end that we wrote the NCC on identified red flags and subsequently made a submission at NCC’s public inquiry into its draft Lawful Interception of Communication Regulation. Our Policy Brief no. 6 addressed this with greater details,” Sesan said.

He emphasised that the initial FOI request which was sent on October 19 was acknowledged as PIN got a response from NCC on October 23, 2015, in which NCC sought further details of their request. 

“We have responded and provided all the details requested by NCC as at Monday October 26, 2015 and now hope to get an official response from the NCC within seven (7) days as stipulated by the FOI act,” PIN boss said.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 
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