Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has announced that security agencies will soon begin to monitor all calls due to the unstable security situation within the country. This announcement was done at a special edition of Consumer Outreach programme, which was organized by NCC at IBB Golf Club in Maitama, Abuja.
According to NCC, the move will enhance the agency’s operational activities within Nigeria as plans are in the offing to find a guideline that will guide the commencement of the plan in a way that the subscriber’s privacy or right is not breached in the process.
Although the commission assured to ensure full protection of each consumer’s rights through the suggested guidelines, it stated however, that at the moment there is no enabling law to guide operators on such powers. It requested for a fast enactment of legislations to provide the proposed guideline a legal backing by the time the plan starts.
“Because of the distressful security situation within the country, security agencies are more or less likely to monitor people’s conversations. As a regulatory agency we are coming up with guidelines that will guide operators on this though presently we lack a law that will guide operators on how to keep the users privacy in conversation,” stated Yetunde Akinloye, the commission’s legal adviser.
NCC however promised that the soon to be released guidelines would look into fears of privacy breach as well as make sure that the plan does not affect real conversations.
Speaking at the event, Engineer Ubale Maska, Technical Services Executive Commissioner stated that since the establishment of CAB (Consumer Affairs Bureau), NCC had acquired various initiatives to address many challenges consumers are experiencing with projects that will make sure and guarantee that users are well educated, protected and informed always.
“The commission’s consumer outreach programme has not only made consumers in Nigeria the most celebrated in Nigerian economy but has also been known by the ITU (International telecommunication Union) as an innovative initiative that helps the commission to prevent consumer problems,” said Reuben Muoka, the Assistant Director of Public Affairs.