Only security agencies, according to the minister, have access to a person's phone records.
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Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami. [Twitter/@FMoCDENigeria] |
Dr. Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, who has faced a barrage of criticism for previous remarks on hardline and extremist Islam, claims that neither he nor the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have the authority to access personal information on people's phones.
“It is only the security institutions that have power and access to people’s lines; we do not have such power, if not, it will be abused.
"It will be wrong for anybody to contact NCC or ministry to provide data of any subscriber,” Pantami says at the unveiling the NCC’s Strategic Vision Plan (2021-2025), NCC Global Connect Podcast and a Compendium of speeches by the Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, in Abuja.
The minister adds that: “Ours is when we are contacted, we will provide to the security agencies the data they need.
“Even when we are contacted, there are requirements constitutionally to do that because telephone conversations are meant to be confidential as stipulated by section 37 sub section 39 of the constitution.
“The Cybercrime Act 2015 and the subsidiary legislations of the commission allow government to give such approval when a crime is committed after the security agencies establish a prima-facie case, then it can be conveyed to the relevant institution.”
Pantami, who is in charge of Nigeria's extremely sensitive and confidential National Identification Number (NIN) programme, obtained presidential support in April as calls for his resignation grew louder due to a history of sympathizing with extremist and fundamentalist groups.