ABUJA ( Federal Ministry of Communication)Vice president, Federal republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has charged all stakeholders in the Nation’s cyber space, including National Assembly, cyber security experts, security and other related Agencies, as well as private sector to collectively share cyber security best practices and ensure speedy implementation of requisite policies, to curtail cybercrime in the country.
Osinbajo who was represented by the Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu gave the charge recently in Abuja while declaring open Cyber Secure Nigeria 2019 conference with the theme “Implementing Cyber Security and Data privacy practices in Nigeria.”
According to him, no body, organization or entity is immune to cyber-crime victimization as a result of sophistication and severity of cybercrime particularly in 2018, hence the need for all to jointly end the menace to ensure a secure Nigeria, otherwise every internet user would be a victim.
He said that cyber security has become so essential, as individual and national development increasingly rely on Information Communication Technology (ICT) which calls for stringent regulations to be enacted and implemented to ensure criminal elements don’t succeed in taking advantage on hapless internet users.
“The collection and processing of personal data raises significant privacy and data protection concerns for every citizen; the legal remedy to this problem is data protection to ensure privacy.”He said.
The Vice President also pointed out that the conference was apt and a welcomed development in line with the key policy thrust of the federal government through the Ministry of Communications in view of the rampant activities of the cyber criminals and internet scammers popularly known as “yahoo yahoo”.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo urged the participants to sort ideas in combating cyber threat curtail cyber-crime and ensure data privacy practices in Nigeria, as well as to produce useful outcome for submission to the Federal government.
He promised that the Federal Government shall surely articulate various submissions emanating from the conference and put them to use.
Earlier in his address, the President, cyber security experts association of Nigeria, Remi Afon called on the Federal Government to establish a national cyber security center that will be saddled with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing cyber regulations.
He expressed worry that cyber security threats landscape has evolved rapidly and have increased in number and sophistication which need to be quickly checked to attain a regime of secured cyber space in Nigeria through concerted efforts from all critical stakeholders.
Daniel Enoch
For: Deputy Director (Press)
Tuesday April 9th, 2019.
