A non-governmental Organization, Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has advocated for the signing of ‘Digital Right Bill’ to enable people access the internet without any hindrance.
Technical Officer of the organization Mr. Aliyu Dahiru Aliyu made the call while presenting a paper entitled “Nigerian Digital Rights and Freedom Bill” at a workshop tagged ‘Feminist Internet School’, held at Hazibal Suits Bauchi.
He said, the signing of the bill will provide maximum protection for the rights of Internet users in the country, thereby safeguarding their privacy, protect their diginity, improve server security and create room for gender inclusion in the internet usage.
According to him, people have been prevented from using the internet because of fear of molestation, accounts hacking, bridge of privacy and alot of issues sorrounding the internet which infringe upon their rights to freedom of expression.
He therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the ‘Digital Right Bill’ has been signed into law, so as to bring sanity into the internet usage and minimize the spread of fake news and hate speech in the society.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives and the Senate have already passed the ‘Digital Right Bill’ and forwarded to the president for signing, which is still being awaited as the president requested for more clarification on the bill.
In her remarks, the Program Officer of CITAD in charge of Gender and Internet Advocacy Maryam Ado Haruna, stressed that women are far left behind in the use of Internet despite several advantages they stand to achieve, especially in the area of business development opportunities.
She noted that studies have shown a huge gap between the way women and men access the internet, which have placed women at the very low state due to fear of falling victims of Internet violence.
The Prgram Officer therefore called on women in the country to take advantage of the digital world and improve their lives, thereby bringing their talents for the world to see and equally excell in their business ventures.
