TheCable

Ali Ndume, chief whip of the senate, says legislators did not examine the cybercrime bill before it was passed into law. 

On May 6, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directed banks and other financial institutions to implement a 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions.

The development followed the amendment of the Cybercrime Act.

Speaking on Friday when he featured on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, the lawmaker said although he was part of the senators who supported the amendment of the act, he did not spot the part that has now placed extra burden on Nigerians.

“You cannot be loading taxes on people when you are not increasing their income. Their source of income, you are not widening it, you are not increasing it. I am not part of those that support levying people anyhow,” he said.

“The amendment to the cybersecurity act, I supported it but not the nitty-gritty and I am not trying to run away from any blame.

“What I understood by the amendment was that we have issues with cybercrime and there is a need for the government to improve the cybercrime act.”

Ndume added that lawmakers should not be solely blamed for the cybercrime levy.

He said while some details may escape the attention of legislators, civil society organisations and labour unions are supposed to point out grey areas during public hearings.

“All the laws are not perfect and I take blame where I have to. Looking at the nitty-gritty would have been the responsibility of interested parties,” he said.

“I heard what the TUC president said. But in every law passed in the national assembly, there must be a public hearing. And that public hearing, there is a procedure where you must publicise in the radio, print. Where were they?

“Part of it is that if you get your copy, you bring your submission or you come to the public hearing and analyse. His representative is supposed to be there to look out for the interest of the people he’s talking about now.

“If I had known there is an issue where a cost would be transferred to a customer or a Nigerian, I would not agree. That is why you have the civil society organisations and the labour. It is not all about the lawmakers.”