Global NGO Flays FG’s N352.8m Digital Literacy Budget under Agric Ministry

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

A global non-governmental organisation (NGO), Accountabilitylab Nigeria, has picked holes in the Federal Government’s N352.8 million Digital Literacy budget under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

The Country Director of Accountabilitylab, Odeh Friday, said putting digital literacy project, budget and implementation under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture rather than the Ministry of Communications Innovations and Digital Economy was a misnomer.

He spoke at the organisation’s unveiling of its four policies for the year 2024, in Abuja. 

According to him, there is budget misfit in the nation’s digital literacy drive, adding: “We have identified some budget misfits, such as under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security: ERGP20242810 at N200 million and ERGP20244447 at N152,837,093, both targeted at the digital literacy and data protection training campaign for youth in Ibadan Northwest/Ibadan Southwest Federal Constituency. 

“This constituency project should have been led by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy or the NDPC (Nigeria Data Protection Commission). 

“There should be a critical push for implementing ethical security measures to shield personal data from unauthorised access, supplemented by government agencies’ budget allocations for data protection and surveillance equipment with adequate horizontal accountability measures reflected in the Nigerian Data Protection Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (NDP-SRAP).” 

On the four policies he said: “These gaps create an environment prone to potential misuse and abuse by government security agencies, particularly in counterterrorism efforts, leading to severe consequences such as human rights violations and harassment.

“The overall argument in these briefs calls for a balanced coexistence of privacy protection and national security approaches within the evolving digital landscape.” 

He reiterated his call on government not to promote economic gains above citizens’ personal data privacy. 

“There is a need to balance economic growth, as targeted by the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), with the revenue goals of N125 billion and job creation objectives (500,000 jobs under a new data protection strategy) and upholding citizens’ data protection and privacy rights,” he said.

The Programmes and Learning Manager, AccountabilityLab Nigeria, Ehi Idakwo, in her remarks said: “The policy briefs provide insights into protecting access to information in Nigeria, enhancing accountability in surveillance practices, implementing data protection measures to safeguard against surveillance abuse in Nigeria, and strengthening data protection.”

She disclosed that the four policies included combating online censorship to protect access to information in Nigeria, enhancing accountability in surveillance practices, strengthening protection by examining the existing data protection regime both in Nigeria and globally and suggesting ways to improve the data protection efforts in the country. 

He stressed that the implementation of data protection measures to safeguard against surveillance abuse in Nigeria is also among the policies.

These policy briefs are critical to taking control of our data, while shaping Nigeria’s safe and inclusive digital future, she stated.

The Communications Officer, Accountabilitylab, Anolaba Blessing, in her remarks said: “Though this is huge but critical for us, because we support global efforts to empower citizens and businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust, ultimately shaping the future of data privacy in Nigeria.”