JACITAD Policy Forum Reviews Lawful Interception Regulation

The Joint Action Committee on ICT Awareness and Development (JACITAD), the umbrella body for ICT media in Nigeria has announced plans to host the inaugural edition JACITAD Policy Review Forum on the Draft Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations that was recently released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecommunications industry regulatory authority in the country.

The Draft Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations will empower security agencies in the country to monitor telephony, Internet and other electronic communications as part of measures by the government to secure lives and property in Nigeria when it goes into effect.

Communications Officer of JACITAD, Mr. Emeka Aginam said that the ICT journalism interest group is organising the Policy Review Forum to generate feedback on the draft regulation from a cross section of stakeholders and also foster public understanding of its implications for Nigerians.

The JACITAD Forum will hold on May 14, 2013 in Lagos and is expected to attract speakers from the diversity of ICT industry stakeholder associations, journalism groups, civil liberty groups and the political

elite.

The telecommunications regulator said that the Regulations are made to provide a legal and regulatory framework for the lawful interception of communications in Nigeria by designated law enforcement authorities in the interest of national security, for the purpose of preventing or investigating a crime and for the purpose of protecting and safeguarding the economic well-being of Nigerians.

The Regulation also seeks to safeguard the interest of public emergency or public safety and give support to any international mutual assistance agreements for the collection and disclosure of intercepted communications, among others.

According to Mr. Aginam, "JACITAD is pleased to convene the forum as part of its contribution towards promoting public understanding and discourse on the draft regulation and also foster better understanding of the subject matter by the journalism community and by extension, the audience of the media in Nigeria."

The JACITAD Policy Review Forum will be attended by the ICT Journalism Community in Nigeria cutting across Reporters, Bloggers, Correspondents, Editors and Publishers from leading Newspapers, Magazines and Specialised Industry Journals.