The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned as "evil" the Jonathan administration's $40 million ambitious internet spy programme awarded to an Israeli firm to secretly search out on Nigeria's 47 million Internet users. The party urged Nigerians to resist the move.
The contract, undertaken by Elbit Systems, with headquarters in Haifa, will allow the government spy on citizens' computers and Internet communications and emails under the guise of intelligence gathering and national security. Elbit announced the contract award Wednesday without stating the name of the benefiting country.
A PREMIUM TIMES' report confirming the existence of the contract between the firm and Nigeria, has sparked some of the most intense debate in recent years over a federal government policy, with many rebuking the plan as invading the privacy of Nigerians.
In a statement in Lagos, the ACN noted how the government has failed to deny the story since it was published, apparently dispelling any doubt about the report's credibility.
The ACN's statement, issued by the party's spokesperson, Lai Mohammed, said the move was an unprecedented assault on the civil rights of Nigerian citizens by the government.
"For a government that is increasingly paranoid, having failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry who are justifiably becoming restive by the day, the ability to spy on the Internet communications of citizens as well as to intercept and read private emails, not to talk of being able to suppress unwanted connections, is a potent weapon against the civil rights of Nigerians as well as the constitutionally-guaranteed rights like freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of association," the ACN said.
"It is also common knowledge that journalists have borne the brunt of the administration's increasing propensity to stifle freedom of expression and press freedom, while members of the opposition are being portrayed more and more as enemies of the administration, rather than being seen as indispensable allies in the nation's quest to evolve a strong and enduring democracy," the statement said.
The party said desirable as it may be for the government to gather useful intelligence on the terror groups, nothing can justify what will essentially become a weapon for harassment, intimidation and even decimation of perceived opponents by a desperate government.
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