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KonkNaija Media | May 2, 2016

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“It’s an illegality” – Reps criticise FG’s $40m Internet surveillance contract to Israel

Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal (Punch)

Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal (Punch)

Members of the House of Representatives have said that the $40m contract awarded to an Israeli firm to monitor Nigerians Internet communications was “unconstitutional.”

Minority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila said, “Such a contract, policy or whatever it is called is an illegality.”

On Tuesday, Gbajabiamila indicating that law makers  were shocked at the new federal Government deal, criticised the project for the invasion of the privacy of individuals.

According to reports, he argued that under the 1999 Constitution, Nigerians had their right to privacy.

“If you have to interfere with that privacy for the purposes of security, there should be a limit set by law,” he said.

“What categories of people are to be monitored? Why are you monitoring their communication? Is it for terrorism? These limits have to be set by law.”

“You are not likely to find a specific sub-head where Internet Monitoring or Internet Surveillance is mentioned.

“The government would have probably tucked it under a sub-head like security gadgets or communication equipment or just security.”

The Punch reports:

An online medium, Premium Times on April 25, 2013 had reported that the Goodluck Jonathan administration awarded the contract  to an Isreali firm, Elbit Systems.

According to the report, the project is to help spy on citizens’ computers and Internet communications under the guise of intelligence gathering and national security.”

The lawmaker also said a bill against invasion of privacy was in the works and that it would be due for first reading soon.

He said, “We are already working on a bill to address such fears of interference with the privacy of the people.”