COVID-19 PALLIATIVES: Beware of scammers, Govt warns Nigerians

The Federal government has urged Nigerians to disregard information from fraudsters who disguise as palliatives distributors to access personal data such as bank verification number and others.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami in a statement on Monday signed by his Technical Assistant, Dr Femi Adeluyi warned Nigerians not to divulge personal data as the team will “never ask citizens to confirm their records via phone calls or digital means without an elaborate structure to ensure the safety of these records and effective communication to the public in this regard”.

“The Ministry also notes the concerns of well-meaning stakeholders on the privacy implications of government’s legitimate use of private data to check the spread of COVID-19, provide palliatives to vulnerable members of society and prevent criminal activities”, Dr Pantami said.

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“For the avoidance of doubt, neither the Ministry nor any organ of the Federal Government directed that any such database be shared to any person for any purpose other than the legitimate, statutory purpose they were collected for”,

He said the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has been directed “to issue a comprehensive framework to guide public institutions on the lawful processing of personal data for public and vital interests such as public health, welfare, security and related matters”.

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