Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has rejected the Customer Due Diligence Regulations 2023 released by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on June 20 2023 demanding customers’ social media handles.

The body of over 70 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), in a state of the nation address, yesterday, in Abuja, described the policy as the most needless in the face of the dipping value of naira and galloping inflation.

The statement signed by its Convener, Dr. Y.Z. Ya’u, lamented that “the apex bank has continued to serve Nigerians terrible policies per time.”

Ya’u, who described the policy as draconian, said it violated the right of citizens to freedom of expression as enshrined in the constitution and would take the country back to the days of dictatorship.

According to him, the policy also violates the recently assented Data Protection Law that aims to protect data subjects and minimise the extent of data that can be extracted from citizens.

“The regulation must be withdrawn forthwith,” he said.

It welcomed the arraignment of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

“There are ample grounds to prosecute the suspended CBN governor, especially for violation of extant laws while in office. For instance, Situation Room had called for his removal as governor of the apex bank on August 2, 2022 for violating Section 9 of the CBN Act 2007 by venturing into politics and asking the court to declare him eligible to run for President without resigning from the office.

“However, the Federal Government is expected to always comply with provisions of the constitution by approaching the court with appropriate charges and letting the court determine the fate of any accused person,” it stated.

By keeping suspects in detention in the manner it has done with Emefiele and former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, it stressed, the Federal Government is violating the rights of citizens and creating the impression of witch-hunt.

“President Bola Tinubu was involved in human rights campaigns and the struggle for democracy during the military era. Having attained the office of the President, he must abide by the oath of office he took to protect the rights of every private citizen and not allow institutions under him to go rogue.

“Members of the National Assembly, on their part, should show that they are representatives of the people by protecting their rights and representing their interests. They are required to speak and intervene on hardship that their constituents are suffering. Additionally, federal lawmakers would need to publicly indicate interest to cut down their earnings and truly follow through.”