Today, May 17, 2016, is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD-2016) and in commemoration, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) has released a report on the state of internet freedom in Nigeria.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), hosts of this year’s WTISD, the theme for WTISD 2016 is “ICT Entrepreneurship for Social Impact”. This theme follows Resolution 68 which was endorsed by the ITU Council in 2015.
With this report themed “State of the Nation – Status of Internet Freedom in Nigeria”, Paradigm Initiative will be joining the conversation on the state of information in the world. The report addresses the current conditions of information in Nigeria, paying particular focus on the impact of the government and other stakeholders in the information society in Nigeria up till 2016.
Other areas explored in the report include detailed information on challenges faced and possible solutions to issues of Internet Freedom in Nigeria. The report calls for protracted and concerted efforts of advocacy and research on ICT policy issues in Nigeria. This is so a veritable templates can be formed for other African countries in need of a positive shift in their cyberspace.
The report also gives a few recommendations with the words, “Citizen and Internet business participation is needed to create a safe and free Internet, and government should not seek to intimidate individuals and organisations that bring these rights violations to the attention of all stakeholders.”
Cyberspace Freedom is a global issue and there have been reports lending credence to this fact in the past few months. In February, the NCC thought about regulating the use of internet services like Whatsapp, Brazil shut down Whatsapp (again) earlier this month (it’s back up now) and Uganda shut down social media for one day (again) last week. There needs to be an open discussion on how citizens’ rights regarding their use of the internet can be preserved.
This report by Paradigm Initiative is great step toward the right direction if we hope to see any change regarding the Nigerian cyberspace. If you want to be enlightened on the state of internet freedom in Nigeria, you can read the full report here.
Happy World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
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