Exempt ordinary citizens from Cybersecurity Fee

Exempt ordinary citizens from Cybersecurity Fee- Stakeholders

Some Stakeholders in the North have asked the federal government to limit the collection of the cybersecurity fee to banks and other financial institutions.

They advised the Federal government to go ahead with its implementation but exempt the ordinary citizens from bearing the burden of payment.

 At a “Roundtable Discussion on Cybersecurity Act” in Kaduna, the stakeholders pledged their support on the implementation of the Act noting that it is of great benefits to national security.

The stakeholders also stressed that banks and other financial institutions should bear the burden of the proposed 0.5% levy,

rather than passing it on to the citizens who they argued were already facing multiple taxes and levies imposed by banks.

The Northern stakeholders, most of whom were drawn from the civil society, NGOs and academia, were led by the director of Arewa House,

Dr Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, secretary-general of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Murtala Aliyu and director-general of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Engr. Abubakar Gambo Umar among others.

Reading their communique to newsmen at the end of the meeting, Dr Aliyu who read the communique noted that, the

discussion which was organized to review and make inputs on the Cyber Security Act, examined the degree of

vulnerability to cybercrimes, the methodology and mechanisms to be applied, as well as the organizations to pay the levy.

Aliyu said, “The participants acknowledged that the Cybersecurity Act is a well-articulated and necessary initiative to

address the increasing cybercrimes in Nigeria. The Act is seen as a positive step towards safeguarding the country’s digital infrastructure and protecting its citizens from cyber threats.

There was a general concern among the participants regarding the usage of funds collected through the proposed 0.5% levy.

They stressed the importance of accountability and prudent utilization of the funds to ensure that they are allocated to the

appropriate areas, such as strengthening cybersecurity capabilities, enhancing law enforcement efforts, and supporting initiatives aimed at educating the public about cyber threats.