NCC Steps Ahead To Fine Tune Framework for Lawful Interception of Communications Regulation and Equipment

Mr Eugene Juwah

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Eugene Juwah, on Tuesday, said that the commission is at the conclusive lap of fine-tuning the framework for the Lawful Interceptions (LI), of all forms of communications regulations and licensing regulations in the telecommunication industry.


He said, the commission is putting legal and regulatory framework in place to give law enforcement agencies,  the authority to intercept communications legally.


This according to him, is meant to protect the rights of citizens.

The EVC, who was represented by Mr. Okechukwu Itanyi, an Executive in the commission, made the disclosure at a stakeholders forum organized by NCC in Abuja.

Juwah said: "All over the world, there exist  lawful interception of
Communications and communication equipment without any legal backing, but now, we want to put a legal backing to it in Nigeria."

Even though, he admitted that such regulation is a subsidiary one, he said: "This is not the first secondary legislation that NCC is coming out  with, we have so many of them, the only thing that we can say is that if  any person has any problem with this regulation, he or she  should go to court to challenge it."

For NCC to do its work effectively, he added that there is need to put in place subsidiary legislation.

The NCC boss, said: "We cannot just depend on the NCC Act or the constitution. However, anybody who is not comfortable with the lawful interception regulations should go to court and challenge it.
 
"The reason why we held this stakeholders forum is to get the inputs of all stakeholders in the industry.

"The essential thing for us is to have a legal and regulatory framework in place for legal interception of communications and to an extent is to protect the citizens because you cannot just intercept any communication without a warrant from the court of law,  and it is meant to protect the rights and privileges of the citizens.
 
According to him: "The NCC  Act actually allows the commission to make regulations because the Act cannot provide everything and therefore we are allowed to  come up with a regulation that will specify the procedures and processes which is why we are coming up with this frame work.

"Already section 146 of the Act says, that all telecommunications operators should have intercept capabilities which is in advancement of what has already been provided in the Act.


THISDAY