Is the Nigerian Government Making it Easier to Spy on Citizens?

The Nigerian government has announced that it will be deploying a Device Management System (DMS) in a bid to improve the mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft and ultimately enhance national security.

The NCC’s statement reads “To curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance national security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices, one of the means to achieve this is through the deployment of Device Management System.”

This announcement comes two weeks after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) disclosed that it had issued a National Identity Number (NIN) to 54 million Nigerians.

Considering that the Device Management System will be storing the data of millions of people in Nigeria, a lot of concerns are starting to rise around privacy.

In December 2020, the Nigerian government threatened to disconnect lines registered without a NIN in the country, as it joined the list of countries with compulsory biometric sim registration laws. While the citizens are getting on board with this law, the argument against this kind of documentation of private data also revolves around an increased power in the hands of the government to monitor its citizens.

The NCC states that it’s all in the good interest of the people “To curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance national security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices, one of the means to achieve this is through the deployment of Device Management System.”

With the rise in crime in Nigeria, it’s understandable why the government is opting for this option. However, the executives in the Nigerian government have way too much power over security agencies and thus could use this system to coerce citizen they consider an opposition.

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