The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has denied reports saying the Federal Government is planning to monitor phone calls made by Nigerians.
There had been reports circulating the internet alleging that the Federal Government was planning to monitor the activities of Nigerians on the social media and via phone calls.
The report also stated that all mobile telephone devices in the country had been connected to the system of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
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However, Pantami in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, on February 23 denied the reports, describing it as fake news.
The statement reads;
The attention of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has been drawn to a misleading message purportedly authored by him, currently trending on social media.
The fake news is circulating a message which implies that all devices are now connected to the ministry’s systems and that effective tomorrow, it will commence the recording of phone calls and the monitoring of all social media platforms and fora.
The malicious message also further discourages citizens from sharing any messages or videos with political or religious content as it is now officially a crime and could even lead to arrest.
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The minister also explained that he initially ignored the message, which has been in the public domain for some time, so as not to give undue attention to its originators.
But he further stated that fake news spread, couple with attempts to ensure well-meaning Nigerians to get clarity and were properly informed, necessitated the need to refute the reports.
Pantami suggested that the reports were part of ‘divisive messages’ that sought to distract the ministry from its focus on digitalising the Nigerian economy.
He added that, as director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency, he initiated and passed the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation, which protects the privacy rights of every individual.
