The Senate and the House of Representatives, have come under fire, over their roles in the planned implementation of the Cybersecurity levy on Nigerians, despite the biting economic hardship.
Both chambers of the National Assembly, passed the amendment, Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act. No. 17, 2015, where they imposed the levy on Nigerians.
In the new amendment signed into law and tagged ‘Cybercrime Act 2024’, the National Assembly, despite the current tax burdens on Nigerians, imposed the new Cybersecurity levy.
Defending the Move, the Senate, through its Committee on National Security and Intelligence, claimed that the new levy will protect Nigeria’s cyber space.
It further claimed that public hearings were held were Nigerians made their contributions before the amendment bill was passed into law by the two chambers of the National Assembly.
“It is on record that the current Cybercrime Act 2024 amends the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act.No. 17, 2015 to correct some consequential words that were inadvertently omitted in the Act, most specifically, Section 44 of the Principal Act as amended where the ambiguity on the said levy was demystified thereby putting it “a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronics transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule to this Act,” Shehu Buba Umar, Chairman of the Committee in a statement released late Thursday night, claimed.
Umar added: “It is urgently imperative to fund the security of Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), counter-terrorism and violent extremism, strengthen National Security and protect digital economic interests, and fully implement the National Cybersecurity Programme through the operationalisation of the National Cybersecurity Fund by all regulators and businesses specified in the Act.
“I am confident that judicious use of cybersecurity levy will enhance the Nation’s capability to assess, implement, update and advance the security of national critical economic infrastructure and protect the Nation’s cyberspace across all cybersecurity domains.
“The protection, security, and sustainability of Nigeria’s active engagement in cyberspace depends on the readiness to fund and diversify the cybersecurity engagement roadmap envisioned by the current administration and the support of my colleagues at the National Assembly.
“It is on record that Nigeria’s Cyber Threat Profile extends far beyond cybercrime, with other major cyber threats as classified under the National Cybersecurity Strategy.
“If we must survive as a nation, the current weak approach to enforcing national cybersecurity directives must be re-examined and prioritized among other considerations.
“The country must fund its cybersecurity and counter-terrorism programme not by foreign aid. Nigeria is facing multi-dimensional security challenges which pose existential threat and require extensive funding to resolve. The country must be committed to its ownership of national cybersecurity and counter-terrorism programmes for greater national stability.
“I commend both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Central Bank of Nigeria for initiating the process for the operationalisation of the cybersecurity levy.
“On behalf of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, I humbly wish to seek for the support of all Nigerians on the policy as it has been made for the maximum benefit of the citizenry which will crystalize in the shortest possible time.”
Credit: Daily Sun