CJN Calls for Improved Strategies, Innovation to Protect Telecoms Consumers’ Data

Stories by Emma Okonji

Worried about the continuous misuse of personal data of telecoms consumers, which has exposed them to increased risk of identity theft, coupled with the frequent hacking of customers’ online banking app, leading to loss of huge sums of money, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who doubles as Chairman, Board of Governors, National Judicial Institute, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun,  has stressed the need for improved strategies and innovation that will protect consumers’ data, as well as online transactions.

Kekere-Ekun made the call, during the opening ceremony of a three-day national workshop for justices and judges on legal issues in telecommunications, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Lagos.  

In her keynote address, Kekere-Ekun, who was represented by a Justice at the Supreme Court, Justice Jummai Hannatu Sankey, said: “There has been increased risk of the personal data of consumers being misused or compromised by unscrupulous persons, thus necessitating the need for improved strategies and innovation for consumer protection in the telecommunications sector.

“Also, worth noting are deficiencies in the banking sector and which are attributable to reliance on digital services provided by the telecommunications sector. There is for instance the major challenge posed by electronically backed transactions which is common place in the banking sector. Concerns in this regard include the spate of customers whose online banking platforms have been hacked, as well as banks being compromised due to technological glitches not factored into their day to day operations. Consequently, these and several other challenges have resulted in a number of disputes which frequently require adjudication.”

The Administrator, National Judicial Institute, Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, while speaking on the theme of the workshop: ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Accelerating Digital Transformation in Nigeria’, said the theme was selected to advance discussions on the overt impact of technology on the telecommunications sector; to collectively explore ways and devise strategies that would enhance the functionality of the sector, particularly with respect to its legal regime; and to restate the pivotal role played by the Judiciary in bolstering trust and confidence in the sector. 

“It is expected that the interventions from the discussions would provide a pathway for an improvement in the dispensation of justice for litigants and interested parties to disputes arising from this specialised area of the law,” Abdullahi said.

In his welcome address, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said this year’s theme was fitting, given the urgency of scaling up digital transformation across Nigeria, as well as the importance placed by the government on improving coordination and synergy among key stakeholders to achieve more beneficial outcomes on its policies.