Nigeria has reportedly invested $40 million in intercept technology and $583 million on public surveillance, according to a new report by Spaces for Change (S4C), a civil society organization.

So-called intercept technology and surveillance allow legally sanctioned official access to private communications, such as telephone calls or e-mail messages in a bid to enhance national security, prevent crime and aid criminal investigations.

Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, executive director of S4C, said that “The Nigerian government has allocated approximately $40m for intercept technologies and an estimated $583m on public surveillance projects with Chinese tech firms.”

Ibezim-Ohaeri, spoke at the West Africa Civil Society Week held in Abuja with the “Leveraging Technology for Civic Engagement and Social Change in West Africa”

At the event held in collaboration with Civic Space Resource Hub, West Africa Civil Society Institute and the Ford Foundation, Ibezim-Ohaeri stated that this expenditure prioritised security over essential public services like education and healthcare, raising questions about the government’s commitment to human rights.

With lawful interception (LI), law enforcement authorities, in response to a warrant from a judge, can perform interception, simply by applying a ‘tap’ on the telephone line of the target, making it possible for security agencies in Nigeria to listen to terrorist and criminal cell phone calls and gather communications intelligence on their dark activities.

But Ibezim-Ohaeri said her organization’s report emphasised the historical context of surveillance in Nigeria, linking colonial practices to modern state surveillance tactics.

Ibezim-Ohaeri noted, “Colonial authorities established a framework for surveillance that persists today, where security agencies continue to repress dissent and monitor civic actors.”

Key findings from the report indicated that the military regime significantly intensified state surveillance, enacting laws that curtailed press freedoms and facilitated the harassment of journalists and political activists.

“Just as the U.S. expanded surveillance post-9/11, Nigeria mirrored this response after the 2011 UN building bombing,” she remarked, referring to legislation that broadened surveillance powers under the guise of national security.

The report outlined how civic actors and opposition politicians are often the primary targets of these surveillance initiatives.

“Evidence shows that state governors have acquired surveillance technologies to monitor political rivals, demonstrating the pervasive nature of these tactics,” Ibezim-Ohaeri explained.

Furthermore, the report highlighted that most surveillance technologies used in Nigeria are imported from countries like Israel, China, and the United States, emphasizing the risks posed by dual-use technologies that can be repurposed for oppressive measures.

“The dual-use nature of these technologies significantly contributes to their unchecked proliferation, often leading to abuses by both state and non-state actors,” she stated.

Despite existing legal frameworks, the report criticised the inadequacy of regulatory controls over surveillance technologies.

“While laws exist to govern surveillance, their enforcement is weak, creating a fertile ground for abuse and misuse,” Ibezim-Ohaeri cautioned.

In light of these findings, the report called for urgent reforms, including improved regulatory oversight and transparency in the procurement processes for surveillance technologies.

“We need a commitment to human rights that begins at the production stage, ensuring that surveillance technologies do not infringe on civil liberties,” she said.

Llawful interception (LI), in response to a warrant from a judge, lawful interception is performed simply by applying a ‘tap’ on the telephone line of the target, making it possible for security agencies in Nigeria to listen to terrorist and criminal cell phone calls and gather communications intelligence on their dark activities.

Dr. Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said that telecommunications operators in Nigeria are currently facing immense challenges with frequent fibre cuts, vandalism, and theft of equipment costing them billions of Naira.

Maida stated this against the backdrop of the recent declaration of telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) by President Bola Tinubu through an Executive Order.

Delivering the keynote address at the launch of the CNII Protection and Resilience Workshop, organized by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser, Maida said Nigeria is now set to address the challenge.

While noting that workshop series was to drive the urgent implementation of the CNII Executive Order as a major step towards securing Nigeria’s communications and digital infrastructure, the NCC boss said:

“The telecom industry faces significant challenges, including frequent fibre cuts, vandalism, and theft, which cost operators billions of Naira in revenue and billions of Naira in repair expenses.

“Additionally, restricted access to telecom facilities by property owners and government entities hampers network expansion efforts, limiting connectivity and impacting service quality.”

Over the years, stakeholders in the Nigerian ICT sector have been calling on the government to designate telecom infrastructure as a critical national asset to address the persistent attacks on the infrastructure across the country.

Dr Emomotimi Agama, director general, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said that his commission is working to expand the capital market education curriculum for Nigerian universities to include topics on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, financial technology, and others.

Agama, made this statement during the inauguration of a committee tasked with reviewing the curriculum on securities and investment management.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has already approved the curriculum for Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions.

The committee will be chaired by Professor Uche Uwaleke of Capital Market Studies at Nasarawa State University

He said, “Due to new developments in fintech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and others, there is a need to expand the curriculum to accommodate the new trends. It is an important time and we want to latch in to be able to teach Nigerians, especially the young people, about the capital market. In light of this, the commission has set up a committee to review and enrich the existing curriculum to reflect these advancements.

“It is sad that people do not have a full grasp of capital market issues. We must do everything to share knowledge and educate people. We want to be the best capital market among nations and that can only be possible due to the superiority of our knowledge. You are well placed to do this being in the Ivory Towers and I thank you for accepting to serve as we look forward to a robust discussion.”

Agama disclosed that the terms of reference of the committee included: a review of the NUC curriculum on securities and investment management to include the non-interest capital market, the commodities ecosystem, the derivatives market, sustainable finance; and capital Market regulations; expanding the ‘Introduction to Cryptocurrency’ section of the NUC curriculum to reflect current developments.; and developing a standard capital market studies curriculum to be used by Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions.

Members of the committee include Prof Augustine Agom of the Ahmadu Bello University; Prof. Seth Akutson of the Kaduna State University; Prof Chuke Nwude of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Dr Akeem Oyewole of Marble Capital Ltd.

Others are Prof Oladele Akinyomi of the Mountain Top University;  Head of the Market Development Department of SEC, Mrs Ojone Kabir;  Head of Economic Research and Intelligence of SEC, Dr Hassan Suleiman and Mrs Jessica Ogwuche of the Financial Inclusion and Investor Education Department of SEC, who is the secretary of the committee.

In his remarks, Uwaleke, chairman of the committee, appreciated the management of the commission for finding members of the committee fit and trusted to carry out the assignment.

“We know that part of our challenge is because our retail investor base is shallow in relation to our population and one way to change the narrative is through capital market literacy. We as lecturers can attest to the fact that capital market literacy within the academic environment is low and I think tackling that is one low-hanging fruit.

“I am aware that the DG and others have been trying to increase the level of awareness with various programmes like quizzes, essays, investor clinics and others, but for us to make more impact, we need to focus on tertiary institutions and that is why I think what we are doing is very crucial,” he stated.

Uwaleke assured that the members would add value given their track record, saying that the objectives and terms of reference of the committee would be achieved.