The
House of Representatives has ordered the immediate suspension of the $40
million (N6 billion) internet surveillance contract awarded secretly by the
Nigerian government to an Israeli firm.
A
house resolution approved Thursday, said no further action should be taken on
the controversial spy project, which has sparked national fury, until three
house committees complete an investigation in three weeks.
The
clandestine project, exposed by Newsmen, was awarded by the Jonathan
administration to Elbit Systems, an Israeli Info tech firm, to spy on millions
of Nigerian internet users. It is seen as part of the government’s widened
clampdown on free media, and unrestrained use of the internet to attack
government officials and policies.
But
the authorities, which have not officially commented on the contract despite
its extensive attention, passed the project off as an intelligence gathering
effort in the face of growing insecurity and fundamentalist threat.
In
a motion initiated by Ibrahim Gusau, the House said the project will infringe
on the privacy of Nigerians and argued that the so-called intelligence
gathering, “may not be the solution” to the nation’s security troubles.
The
House also questioned the secrecy surrounding the contract award, which
lawmakers agreed violated federal financial regulations relating to contract
awards, as stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
Three
committees, namely, Information and Computer Technology, Human Rights, and
National Security, are to conduct inquiry into the project and make its
findings known in three weeks.
0 comments:
Post a Comment