Cybersecurity levy: Hold lawmakers responsible, not Tinubu – SDP Presidential candidate

Even though the Cybersecurity levy has been suspended by the Federal Government, the Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has asked Nigerians to direct their anger about the levy to their representatives at the National Assembly.

The SDP Chieftain who lamented about the poor leadership in the country, noted that instead of blaming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigerians should hold the lawmakers who made the law responsible.

Speaking at the interactive session by the Nigeria leadership series hosted by the Africa leadership group, Adebayo said Tinubu didn’t pass the law, the National Assembly did.

“Your representatives passed the law, the media carried the news of the law when it was passed. So, if you don’t want the levy, stop talking about Tinubu,” he said.

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He explained that all Nigerians need to do tell the members representing them and the senators “that within 48 hours, they must bring a repeal of that law immediately.

“The government is not only one person. It’s a good thing that the president has suspended the operation of the levy but the way government works is that you must ensure that if you are against that levy, as I am against it, you need to let your representatives go there and repel the law.”

“If the law is repealed, there will be no levy to pay. So, we need to have a deeper understanding of our government. I am an SDP person , when government brings a policy and we are discussing the good or bad side of the policy, I always ask my party people, how did the elected SDP members vote?

“I don’t want to look very silly to go and start opposing something which our members voted for. So, if we don’t like this policy and we can recall our members who are in the house, summon them for questioning, to say this law or this regulation or this resolution is contrary to the objective of SDP and the principle for which we stand”.

Adebayo who also hinted why the country’s leadership structure is weak, explained that while leaving office, every incumbent, wants to leave a weak successor behind so that he, (predecessor,) will still be relevant even after leaving office.

He said, “if we change our minds, and we are recruiting leadership that will be better than the incumbent, then we will encourage people of ideas, people of ethics, people of discipline in politics.”