Exclusion Of Digital Rights, Threat To Democracy, Says CITAD

The executive director, Centre for Information Technology and Development Centre (CITAD), Dr. Y. Z Ya’u has described the exclusion of digital rights and online privacy as a threat to the democratic space.

Ya’u while speaking Tuesday in Abuja at a three-day capacity building workshop on Digital Rights to staff of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), stated that the commission needs to mainstream their activities to ensure that Nigeria is among the countries where digital rights for citizens are respected.

According to him, “If we don’t have access to digital rights and you don’t have control on privacy online it means that our participation in democracy will be challenged.”

He however urged the NHRC to ensure that the president assent to the digital rights bill at the National Assembly to ensure that Nigeria joins other countries where digital rights are being qualified as other fundamental human rights.

Earlier, the executive secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Anthony Ojukwu, represented by director, Human Rights Institute, National Human Rights Commission, Obinna Nwakonye stated that digital technologies hold tremendous potential for improving human lives and ability to develop.

Ojukwu however maintained that these technologies present challenges with negative impacts such as censorship, inversion of privacy, illegal surveillance and harassment of women and children hence the commission is positioned to facilitate the protection of these rights through sensitization, monitoring and enforcement.

He said the NHRC has adopted digital technology for receiving, processing and management of complaints and relevant communication.

“Key staff are sent to this training to widen their scope of knowledge and experience which will enable them to contribute more effectively in the overall drive of the Commission to achieve its mandate,” he added.