CYBERSECURITY LEVY: INTENT, TIMING RIGHT, BUT STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION LACKING – EX-LAWMAKER
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Aliyu Gebi, a former member of the House of Representatives, has provided insight on the recent Central Bank of Nigeria decision mandating that banks begin charging a cybersecurity tax from transactions.
On Tuesday, the CBN declared that a 0.5% charge would be imposed at the electronic transfer origination point, with the financial institution withholding and remitting the money once it was subtracted. The amount withheld will be shown as a “Cybersecurity Levy” on the customer’s account.
However, Gebi said that the implementation of the law was overdue.
He acknowledged that the timing and purpose of the levy might be reasonable, but he expressed concerns about the government’s approach to strategic communication.
He mentioned that since 2015, Nigeria has seen difficulties putting into practice globally recognized cybersecurity measures, attributing setbacks to financial allocation problems as well as security apprehensions.
“Nigeria has been postponing the full implementation of these internationally agreed protocols since 2015. You may recall I was in Parliament then in 2015. I think it was in April or thereabouts, that the Cybercrime Act was passed into law but we could not fully operationalise it because of certain constraints that we were undergoing especially the security challenge and where funds were being directed.
“But here we are today where it is an absolute necessity.
“If we know how much money we are losing, that the banks are losing, that account holders are losing, that the government is losing, because of weak implementation of cyber security protocols, we would pay the government more money to ensure that the government, the NSA implements it,” he said.
He added that Nigeria is more prone to cyber attacks than any other developing nation in the world considering the size and might of the economy.
“There is again no gain in saying the National Security Advisor, as the coordinator of all security agencies in Nigeria, must do the needful.
“Doing this needful requires funding. Everyone knows Nigeria, at this point, is not earning as much as it should be earning, or could be earning,” the former lawmaker added.
He commended the timing of the bill, deeming it necessary.
He said, “The intent of the bill is right. The time is ripe. Is the time right for other things? Now this is a question that should be asked but is the time right for us to fully operationalise our Cyber Security Act and the Cybercrime Act of 2015 as amended? Yes, it is.”
But Gebi criticised the Federal Government for its inadequate communication with citizens.
“We don’t do a good job of communication. This is our problem. We don’t communicate strategically.
“When the Super Highway in Lagos started again, there was a lot of uproar again because there was no strategic communication people did not understand what was happening or the value they will get eventually when it happens,” he said.
He added, “We do a poor case of strategic communications, I believe the CBN should have communicated this better. I believe consensus should have been built, advocacy, enlightenment, getting people to understand what their money is going to buy them in the short medium and long term.”
Proposing a solution, Gebi said, “The beauty of participatory democracy is you and I have representatives at the local government at the state level and the Federal level.
“Let those who we have voted in to represent us gauge our temperature and ask for perhaps postponement, deferment or to ask for more explanation.
“What we should be asking for really is about oversight. How is that money going to be spent who oversees that money?
“What layers of the cyber security Spectrum will that money be spent on? What is the recourse? If I get perhaps threatened or if I get blackmailed by cybercriminals, how do I get or how do I seek recourse?”
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