By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — THE Civil Society Organisation on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative, CSCHEI, has expressed shock and disappointments over the recent statements credited to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, regarding the ability of bandits and Boko Haram terrorists to communicate effectively.
The Minister was said to have stated that criminals exploit gaps in the country’s telecommunications network and use advanced technology to bounce calls across multiple towers is unacceptable.
CSCHEI in a statement signed by its Director-General, Hon. Kunle Yusuff, condemned the minister’s statement.
According to the statement: “As the regulatory body responsible for overseeing the communication sector, it is the Ministry’s duty to ensure that such gaps are addressed and that measures are in place to prevent the misuse of communication networks by malicious actors.
“CSCHEI believes that the Minister’s response demonstrates a lack of proactive approach in addressing this critical communication national security issue.”
It urged President Tinubu “to take immediate action and redeploy the Minister to another Ministry, as his continued tenure undermines the efforts to combat communication terrorism in Nigeria.”
Expressing surprise that someone in charge of such a sensitive position should make the statement, the group said: “The communication and digital economy sector is a critical component of national development, and it is the responsibility of the Minister to ensure that it is leveraged to support the country’s security and prosperity.
“CSCHEI calls on the President to appoint a minister who will demonstrate the requisite leadership and technical expertise to drive the country’s digital economy agenda and address the security challenges facing the nation.
“We emphasize that every life matters, and it is the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens. We demand more proactive measures from the Ministry to disrupt the communication networks of bandits and terrorists, and to hold those responsible for these heinous crimes accountable.
“It’s time for the President to utilize the monitoring and evaluation report of each Minister, take necessary actions, sack those who have performed woefully, redeploy those necessary, and applaud those who have been performing. A round peg must be in the right hole at this time of critical circumstances in Nigeria.”
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