THE plan by the Federal Government to enact a law on Lawful Interception of Electronic Communication, according to reports, is not unexpected given the rising insecurity in the land. Criminality has obviously found modern technology, especially the mobile phones and the portable computers, handy tools to perpetrate kidnapping, terrorism, murders disguised as religious and ethnic strife and other heinous acts. It was a matter of time therefore that the effort to secure the state and its citizens should be taken to the higher level of electronic surveillance. Nigerians can only hope that the new measure will make a clear difference for the better in the performance of state security agencies who have so far shown utter inability to keep the country safe.Ordinarily, there is no reason to believe that the monitor of private communication by security agencies is new in Nigeria. However, to make this an official policy demands a legislation that must be well considered in all its ramifications, particularly for the expressed reason that to legalise electronic surveillance is to militarise the state. The burden is on the legislature to enact a law that allays such fears. The bill should be well and widely debated so that, at the end of the day, the rights of the honest citizen are as assured as the security of the country. Besides, no one would want a 'Big Brother is watching you' piece of legislation in the hands of some political demagogue masquerading as a patriot. Luckily, there are the experiences of other jurisdictions to learn from. For example, the privacy law must not be compromised.Second, a cause for concern is the real possibility of abuse of electronic eavesdropping by security operatives to further personal or sectional interest. Third, we live in a country where the line between genuine opposition and treason is defined according to the whims of the powers that be. A law of Lawful Interception can easily be misused against people outside government. So, the proposed law must capture measures against these and other likely abuses. One further step is to establish a body to monitor the monitors and such a body could be made up of persons of age, experience and integrity; and they should be absolutely insulated from partisan politics.The implementation of the proposed law raises the issue of equipment and data processing. If, as it is likely to be, the equipment is of foreign make, these may require the services of foreigners to operate, to process the information. In effect, foreigners will have unfettered access to sensitive security information on Nigerians and the state. Surely, this would be inimical to our national interest. Government should therefore seek to 'Nigerianise' the surveillance technology, for the sake of national security.Beyond measures to improve national security, however, it does not appear too sensible to devote resources to deter criminality whereas, ab initio, existing social and economic conditions 'unemployment and grinding poverty ' nurture criminal tendencies. That amounts to putting the cart before the horse. At the very worst, the two measures ought to be pursued with equal vigour. Government should therefore take the steps to strengthen national security as part of a holistic approach that includes creating a conducive environment for able and willing Nigerians to be productively and gainfully engaged. That way, more citizens would have enough at stake in their country and its safety.
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