The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) have announced a new partnership to strengthen Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem and enhance technology deployment and utilization by individuals, businesses, governments and other Internet users in the country.
Giving this hint during a media chat organized in Abuja preparatory to the maiden National Cybersecurity Conference scheduled for July 9- 11 this year in Abuja, national cybersecurity coordinator from the Office of National Security Adviser, Sa’ad Abubakar, said the Federal Government was committed to fostering stronger global partnerships within the cybersecurity ecosystem.
The security expert pointed out that the current fight against cybercriminals in the country must be collectively made in order to win the techno war.
He explained: “Apart from the deterrent approach whereby government agencies such as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrest individuals, take them to court and prosecute them, the youth can be nurtured into better citizens who can showcase their capacity in better ways and be useful to the country.”
- Advertisement -
Speaking at the event, Director-General of the NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi Inuwa, also harped on the need for collaborative approach across the broad spectrum of the society in fighting cybercrimes.
Also, the industry expert maintained that in addition to adopting a collaborative approach in the war against cybercriminals, the Nigerian government intended to strenghtencollaboration with the global cyber security ecosystem stakeholders due to the cross-border risks of cybercrimes.
The NITDA boss clarified: “Someone can commit a crime from Ghana using a Nigerian ID in the US. So you can look at him physically in a different jurisdiction, pretending to be in another jurisdiction, committing the crime in another jurisdiction.
“So without that kind of synergy and working together, it will be difficult to address these challenges. The third one is challenge. The third one is getting an alternative to cybercrime for our kids in Nigeria. We have this as a major challenge”, Inuwa added.
Inuwa spoke on the importance of the planned National Cybersecurity Conference to the political economy as the forum would help to address key issues in the nation’s cybersecurity ecosystem through the workshops, discussions on emerging threats, cross-border cybersecurity collaboration strategies, and training programmes.
He also disclosed that the forum would feature the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards, recognising top contributions in the nation’s ICT sector and appealed to global partners to collaborate with Nigeria in building a safer digital future.
