The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), yesterday expressed their readiness to partner with Avocats Sans Frontieres (ASF) France on the protection of Nigerians’ digital rights.
The Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, and Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, gave the assurance, on Wednesday, during the launch of e-Rights Project by ASF France in Abuja.
The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also said they would support ASF France, also known as Lawyers Without Borders France, on achieving the objectives of the project.
Prof. Danbatta, represented by Head of New Media and Information Security, Chidi Dingwu, said the project was the latest intervention in promoting the fulfilment of human rights in Nigeria.
“To transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy providing quality life and digital economies for all, it is imperative that we strengthen the people’s confidence in the use of digital technologies, and involvement in the digital economy as stipulated in the soft infrastructure pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS 2020-2030),” he said.
He said this pillar addressed the importance of cybersecurity, digital rights, data protection and privacy frameworks and guidelines that encouraged citizens to embrace the opportunities which digital technologies offer with a view to repositioning the Nigerian economy.
He noted that since digital and other user rights in communications and electronic media are becoming more significant in society as technology advances, there is the need to protect these rights.
“The event is an acknowledgement of the drive of ASF France to promote the rights of individuals to information, freedom of expression, privacy and data protection as they engage online,” Danbatta said.
He said as the country continues to boost confidence and trust in its digital economy through fruitful deliberation and conversations, all hands must be on deck to safeguard the people’s rights to information, freedom of expression, privacy and data Protection, in the context of digital technologies, especially the Internet.
To transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy providing quality life and digital economies for all, it is imperative that we strengthen the people’s confidence in the use of digital technologies.
Access to internet
Abdullahi, also represented by NITDA’s Head of Legal Unit, Emmanuel Edet, said as at the last statistics, about 84 million Nigerians had access to internet
He said this showed that the number of internet users in Nigeria has grown astronomically; hence, the need for the protection of their digital rights cannot be over-emphasised.
He said there was the need for every stakeholder to collaborate to ensure that digital space was safe.
Abdullahi, who said NITDA is working with NCC and others to develop child rights protection in the digital space, also said he aligned totally with the e-Rights Project and to ensure that this was adequately and properly used in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of NHRC, Anthony Ojukwu, said he is inclined to associating with any programme aimed at protecting human rights.
“So there is the need to address the challenges and annex the potential of digital space,” he said.
Ojukwu also stressed the need for legislation that would help safeguard the digital space.
The Chief Executive Officer of NDPB, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said with the huge population of internet users, effort must be made to safeguard the people’s rights.
Olatunji, who was represented, said as nations across the globe march to the ever increasing tempo of technological advancement in the 4th industrial revolution, the need to safeguard the rights of citizens must be addressed with the keenest sense of equity and justice.
Deputy Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Alexandre Borges-Gomes, said new technologies can contribute significantly to the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy and make public participation easier and more effective.
He, however, said that this could also be abused
“In this context, the e-Rights project is strategic because it aims at promoting people’s rights in the digital space in Nigeria; digital rights are all about freedom of expression and privacy and an extension of human rights for the internet age,” he said.
The Country Director of ASF France, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said the project is the latest human rights initiative of the organisation funded by the EU.
According to her, it is aimed at enhancing digital rights in Nigeria.
She said the organisation “is canvassing that all the rights that are respected offline to equally be respected online.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, organised by Lawyers Without Borders France, was in partnership with Centre for Technology and Development (CITAD), and Spaces for Change (S4C). (NAN)
