By Emmanuel Elebeke

With the liberalization of the Nigeria’s telecom sector in 2001, the country’s communication  landscape came alive, closing the wide gap between Nigeria and the rest of the world.

Cyber crime

This opened up the telecom market for all kinds of technology devices, such as desktops, laptops, palmtops, handheld devices as well as software applications.

Consequently,  Nigeria  did not only become t echnologically savvy but also a very active nation in the cyberspace, giving rise to all kinds of online transactions, website visits, electronic shopping among other online activities.

Online fraudsters however, took advantage of the vulnerability cyberspace to perpetrate all kinds of cybercrimes. The security agencies swooped into action to save the nation from the rising wave of cyber-criminality but the absence of extant laws that specify punishment for offenders became a major challenge.

The absence of this law resulted in giving Nigeria a bad name before the international community until October last year, when the National Assembly passed the long awaited bill into law and the subsequent ascent into law by the former President Goodluck Jonathan.

However, Managing Director and CEO, Jidaws Systems Limited, Mr. Jide Awe has faulted the new Cybercrime law, saying it lacked specifics in the implementation direction.

Awe, said proper consultation was not carried by the 7th  Assembly before passing the bill into law and now requires stakeholders input to correct the lapses created in the hasty passage of the bill into law.

“My own opinion of the law is that it is necessary for us to have a full debate over the issue. We need to be very specific on who is in-charge of the implementation of the law for enforcement. It is one of the laws that did not specify a single implementation agency.”

He also faulted the law for trying to cover everything but noted that the way penalties are spelt out in the law is likened to killing a fly with the sledge hammer.

Awe, who is also the Chairman, Nigerian Computer Society Organizing Committee, said the biggest  challenge facing the law  is that most Nigerians are still ignorant of the law and its components.

“I think, some punishments in the law are not commensurate to the offence. That is why the law requires amendment by stakeholders, whose inputs are needed to address all the lapses so far identified. The last version that was passed did not have any stakeholders input. I am not sure law makers input was enough.”