TECH DIGEST – Experts have kicked against the Nigerian Communications Commission’s plan to a Device Management System which will serve as a repository for all registered mobile phones’ International Mobile Equipment Identity and owners of the devices.

Some experts interviewed by our correspondents said the DMS would give too much power to a government that has shown a propensity to abuse such powers.

Senior Programme Manager, Paradigm Initiative, Adeboye Adegoke, said, “Citizens should be worried about this. It is a very dangerous trajectory. There is no strong provision or framework or legal guaranty where people can seek remedy for breaches or violation of their privacy rights.

“Also, the Nigerian government does not have the character to respect data protection rights. In fact, the Nigerian government is probably the number one violator of such rights.

“What it is doing through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, is that it is trying to be the regulator for digital protection in Nigeria.”

Executive Director, Cyber-safe Foundation, Confidence Staveley, said the plan was fraught with a lot risks.

She said, “On the dark side, collecting this amount of data presents a plethora of risks and concerns which will leave the commission with the heavy responsibility of ensuring that the data collected is securely stored and managed in adherence to local and global data protection standards and best practices.

“We cannot afford for this database containing such sensitive information to be obtained by cybercriminals.”

The NCC had said that one of the purposes of implementing the DMS was to ensure that when phones were stolen, they could be shut down remotely even when other SIM cards were inserted into them.

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TECH DIGEST – A group of young writers and journalists from Northern Nigeria, have lamented the under utilization of ICT Centers across the North, which were established by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to develop the capacity of youths on modern technological skills.

The youths were drawn from Arewa Agenda, and Paradigm Initiative, Northwest Zone.

At a press briefing on Sunday in Kano, Convener of Arewa Agenda, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, and the Program Assistant for Paradigm Initiative, Sani Suleiman Sani, both observed that if the lapse is not corrected by those concerned, it will place the North at a disadvantage in accessing digital opportunities for digital inclusion towards a digital economy.

They said with the rising unemployment rate in Nigeria, digital entrepreneurship is yet to be fully exploited by the majority of Northern Youths, given its potential to become an engine of economic transformation in the Country.

“It is true that the capabilities and skills required to use various forms of digital technologies remain limited to a small segment of the population coupled with the fact that about 60 million Nigerian adults are without access to a formal account which is a prerequisite for digital financial services, stalling the country’s journey toward financial inclusion and access to digital Economy opportunities is narrowed to a slim share of the population.

“That is why strategic ICT based investments and innovations especially the ones being championed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the supervision of the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, is bridging this gap especially with massive investments in digital infrastructure, digital platforms, digital financial services, digital entrepreneurship and digital skills, all key fundamental elements of a digital economy,” they added.

While calling on stakeholders such as religious leaders, political actors, and traditional leaders to key into the sensitization effort, Lawal and Sani, urged Northern youths to take advantage of NITDA’s offerings to learn computing technology skills that will enable them imbibe the culture of digital entrepreneurship leading to a rebust Digital Economy as Northern States are already backward in accessing Digital Opportunities.

The Group also tasked Northern Governors to compliment the Federal Government Digital Economy efforts through the activities of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), by having a delibrate plan, allocation and releases of resources to support digital Transformation.

They maintained that anyone that wants to participate in global jobs of this generation must learn computing and data analysis skills for an inclusive digital future.

Arewa Agenda reports that the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has established over 1,000 ICT centers across the country, ICT Innovation and Incubation hubs strategically located in States including Kano, Katsina, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Gombe among others and twelve virtual libraries in Nigerian universities aimed at developing youths potentials on modern technological skills.

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