Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Ignite the mind.
Ignite, Inside stories, iThink!

Citizen GAVEL, Urges Citizens to Stop Patronizing Unregistered Loan Apps

The need for the Nigeria Communications Commission to protect the digital privacy of Nigerians against loan app managers and their operators is now an imperative function that requires mitigating strategies to stop the menace of loan app defamation, harassment, threat to life and abuse.

By admin , in Ignite Inside stories iThink! , at December 27, 2023

By Boluwatife Adedokun

Nigerians have been urged to stop patronizing unregistered loan apps.

This call was made by GAVEL and LightRay! Media, Monday on X (formerly known as Twitter) following the statistics of over 600 defamation cases Citizen Gavel received from Neitizens. The space tagged “Combating Loan App Defamation In Nigeria,” was held to put out a collective class action that puts an end to loan app defamation in Nigeria which has been regarded to be a form of illegal practice.

Pressing further on how Nigerians should exercise their right on unregistered loan apps, Barrister Funmi Oderinde, the Spokesperson for Citizen GAVEL, analyzed how another law has been put in place to combat cybercrime in which if acted against, the loan app/person is liable to imprisonment of 10 years and fine of 25 million naira hence, citizens should know their right and when to exercise it.

In her analysis, she said, “Act of 2015 provide a framework of prosecuting cybercrime and state that any person who knowingly or intentionally transmit any communication through a computer system or network to bully, threaten or harass another person or place that person in the position of fear of death, violence or bodily harm, such person is liable to imprisonment of 10 years and fine of 25 million naira.”

Alabi Joshua, one of the participants in the Twitter space asked how Nigerians can identify loan apps that have been registered.

In response, Barrister Funmi said Nigerians can easily identify loan apps that are registered from the website of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Protection Commission website.

“The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission website updates their websites with the list of digital money lenders that are registered with them. Therefore, Nigerians can always check the website to confirm if the loan app they are about to get engaged with is registered or not.”

Making more emphasis on identification of registered and unregistered loan apps, Barrister Femi, another representative of Citizen GAVEL, advised Nigerians to patronize only registered loan apps if they are in dire need to do so.

Speaking further on how GAVEL is educating Nigerians, Femi said, “We are educating Nigerians to patronize only loan apps that are registered with the CBN to make it easy to hold the loan apps accountable during defamation cases.”

For the way forward, Lady Ejiro Eumukoro, the Publisher of LightRay Media advises citizens to ensure self accountability in order to combat the crisis.

She said, “There is so much to be done in terms of citizens awareness, citizens smartness to smart thinking strategies therefore, citizens should become socially and financially intelligent.”

Ejiro emphasized on the need for Nigerians to read the terms and conditions of the loan apps when registering. When they start requesting confidential information like access to your camera, access to your audio, access to your images, that’s a point where one needs to be sensitive.

Loan App defamation is now a criminal offense in Nigeria. If found spreading false damages information to the customer, such is liable to at least a year imprisonment. This is what Citizen GAVEL is promoting to ensure full prohibition of loan app defamation in Nigeria. Nigerians who have loan app defamation cases can always report to https://Podus.org

This report is supported by the LightRay! Media Fellowship on the Impact of Tech on Humans Initiative.

Realted Posts

Sickle Cell Warriors – Over 150,000 Babies Born in Nigeria Annually

In ILORIN, KWARA – “Pray hard,” the doctors implored Morufat Abimbola Ayodele, whose 12-year-old daughter’s health condition had worsened. Young Morufat he suffers from sickle cell disease.

From Delta to Enugu to Taraba States, the number of children to adult ratio who suffer from sickle cell continues to rise. It begs the question: are there enough media and social advocacy campaigns warning Nigerians the life long impact of the disease when couples with “AS-AS genotype” or “AS-SS genotype” chose to have children? That for every 4 in on 1 chance, they will most likely give birth to a child with the sickle sell disease? Is ignorance fueling this rise or are faith miracles at the root of couples defying the odds?

Beyond Textbooks: Punch Foundation, Historians, American Corner, Academics stress importance of Cartooning on Educational Development in Nigeria

For many, the word “cartoon” evokes caricatures that tend to prompt laughter when captured with creativity and punch.

However, journalists have come to understand that while a picture says a thousand words, cartoons evoke powerful emotions that inspire or trigger both intended and unintended outcomes.

Akin Lasekan is recognized as the first cartoonist in Nigeria, having worked with the West African Pilot newspaper. It’s interesting to note that in 1908, “Fantasmagorie,” considered by animation historians as the world’s first cartoon, was released.

As the power of cartoons evolved, they became established as a vital force within the political struggle to liberate Nigeria from British colonization.

Today, editorial journalism recognizes that sketching and cartooning deserve a prime spot in Nigeria’s educational development, as captured by Jimoh’s reporting for LightRay! Media.

NIJ Student News Diary: Bridging the Gap between Quality Journalism and Content Creation in Personal Branding

When students of journalism have a good grasp of how journalism operates in the work place and business ecosystem, they become prepared to develop the necessary skills they need to excel in the digital age.

N3.2bn uncompleted shore protection project, Reps order NDDC to probe into Smith Engineering Company

…calls for investigation into the activities of Smith Engineering Company Limited.

LightRay Media holds Mastermind Masterclass for media practitioners in Delta

Since 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, LightRay Media began a special Mastermind Masterclass for campus, entry levels and professional media practitioners across Nigeria. Partnering with the Centre for Development and Democracy (CDD), it trained over 50 editors and sub editors on top legacy media in Nigeria. To bridge the training gap often experienced in the Niger Delta, particularly in Delta State, LightRay Media continues to train and mentor information officers, journalists, digital content creators, writers and documentary storytellers with a special 2023 Masterclass Enterprise.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *