Nigeria’s House of Representatives over the weekend agreed that the awarding of a $40 million contract to spy on Nigeria internet users should be probed. A foreign company was contracted to monitor the online behavior and activities of Nigerian citizens.
The House added that the committees on ICT, human rights, Justice and anti-corruption will also investigate the claims, and report back with their findings in three weeks. The resolution was unanimously passed by the House.
“The contract was awarded under the guise of gathering information to enhance national security; but this may not be the answer to the glaring security challenges of today’s Nigeria. The right to private and family life has been violated,” said Ibrahim Shehu Gusau of ANPP Zamfara.
He added that the contract was awarded secretly and in wanton disregard of due process of Fiscal Responsibility Act and Bureau of Public Procurement Act 2007, while stating that the contract violated the basic privacy provision in chapter four section 37 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
According to Vanguard, “he further revealed that the clandestine contract was awarded by President Jonathan’s administration to Elbit Systems, an Israeli Information technology firm to spy on millions of Nigerian internet users.”
“It would be recalled that opposition parties in the country and several media organisations expressed outrage over the development when it was reported by the media several weeks ago,” the publication added.
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor
