Frank Hersey
There is concern in Nigeria over how the government is going about evaluating poverty levels after a video apparently of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy spread online, reports the International Centre for Investigative Reporting Nigeria.
The minister, Isa Pantami, explains how “data mining” of the SIM to acquire information such as its registration and how much the subscriber spends on monthly top-ups lets the authorities understand the user’s spending power and therefore level of wealth. The video, embedded in the report, matches a statement from the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management which outlined how SIM records and the Biometric Verification Numbers (BVN) for bank accounts would help determine who would benefit from the COVID-19 welfare scheme.
The report argues that as the current constitution stands, these data should not be available for such purposes and that collection is being conducted without consent. It also points out that Nigeria has the National Cash Transfer Office, which has adopted the World Bank model for establishing those eligible for welfare via community-level assessment.
The article goes into great detail over jurisdictions of ministries and the constitution and as such provides a useful overview of the situation regarding personal data in Nigeria and those calling the authorities to account.
Also in Nigerian biometrics news, transporter workers in Kwara state who qualify for support loans during the coronavirus pandemic are being registered biometrically, reports The Pulse.
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