In view of the unstable security situation in the country, the

Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, says security

agencies will soon commence monitoring of all calls to

enhance their operational activities in the country.

This Commission announced this recently at a special

edition of Consumer Outreach programme organized by the

commission at IBB Golf Club, Maitama, Abuja.

According to the commission, plans are in the offing to come

up with a guideline that will guide the take-off of the plan in

such a way that no subscriber’s right or privacy would be

breached in the process.

Though, the Commission promised to ensure full protection

of the rights of every consumer through the proposed

guidelines, it however noted that there is no enabling law at

the moment to guide the operators on such powers and

called for a quick enactment of legislations to give the

proposed guideline a legal backing by the time the

implementation proper kicks off. According to the

commission’s legal adviser, Mrs. Yetunde Akinloye, “In view

of the worrisome security situation in the country, the

security agencies are about to key into peoples’

conversation. We as a regulatory agency are coming with

guidelines that will guide the operators on this. Though, at

the moment, we do not have a law to guide how the

operators should keep consumers privacy in conversation,

we also need this guideline. to enhance the smooth

implementation of the plan.”

Recall that last year Senator Isa Galaudu, PDP Kebbi North

sponsored a bill entitled A Bill for an Act to Provide for

Interception, Development and Protection of

Communications Networks and Facilities for Public Interest

and Other Related Matters 2013.

The bill seeks to give legal backing to relevant national chief

security officers, national security agency, Department of

State Services and Police to intercept communications

considered prejudicial to national security or public interest.

The bill passed second reading in the upper legislative

chamber of the National Assembly and was referred to the

Senate committees on Communication, Judiciary and

National Security for further legislative input.

However, though the bill generated serious condemnations

from different quarters going by wide spread fears of

privacy breach it could bring about, it received

overwhelming support in the Senate, in September last year.

But the NCC is promising that the soon to be released

guidelines will take care of fears of privacy breach and

ensure that the process does not affect genuine

conversations.

In his opening remarks, the Executive Commissioner,

Technical Services, Engr. Ubale Maska said since the

establishment of the Consumer Affairs Bureau, in 2001, the

Commission had taken several initiatives to address

numerous challenges consumers are facing by coming up

with projects that will ensure and guarantee that consumer

are well informed, educated and protected at all times.

Also corroborating him, Director Consumer Affairs Bureau of

the Commission, Mrs. Maryam Bayi said, the Commission

had made remarkable strides in its bid to protect the

interest of telecom consumers, not just as a fulfillment of its

mandate but also as commitment to ensure that Nigerian

telecoms consumers get value for their money.

she explained that the Commission had come up with a

number of regulations and initiatives for the purpose of

protecting the telecom consumer interest. They include: the

establishment of regulations on consumer code of practice,

quality of service, enforcement, mobile number portability

among others.

Also speaking, the Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Mr.

Reuben Muoka described the regulation of the Nigerian

telecom sector as a delicate balance for the commission

Muoka noted that the consumer outreach programme of the

commission has not only made Nigerian consumers the

most celebrated among other consumers in Nigerian

economy but has also been recognized by the International

telecommunication Union, ITU as an innovative initiative

helping the commission to alleviate consumers problems.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/calls-may-soon-

monitored/

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