The Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) has emphasized the need for holistic engagement of critical stakeholders that would bolster defensive capabilities that ward off threats to cybersecurity on the cyberspace.
Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, spoke at a two-day symposium on Internet Governance and Safeguarding the Cyberspace organised by the Attorney General Alliance, Africa in collaboration with NCC in Abuja.
Danbatta advocated the need for government, regulators, law enforcement agents and advocacy groups, the private sector and members of the public to work together to defeat cybercrime.
He said: “The Internet has created a new environment, a complex and dynamic “cyberspace.”As we learn to live our lives on this cyberspace, there is the concomitant need to avert malicious actors and to bolster defensive capabilities that ward off threats to cybersecurity.
“This calls for holistic engagement of all stakeholders including government and regulators, law enforcement agents and advocacy groups, the private sector and individual members of the public.”
He said that several policy and regulatory initiatives of Government in Nigeria are focused on harnessing the cyberspace and ensuring that the dividends of digital economy cascade to the citizens.
He added: “We recently successfully auctioned the 3.5 GHz spectrum for deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) Technology to support the delivery of ubiquitous broadband in the country. Not resting on its oars, the Commission has through the instrumentality of consultation and international best practices made tremendous milestones in the areas of standards, information security, consumer protection and regulatory excellence generally.”
He further highlighted other measures taken by Nigeria along the journey towards internet governance and cybersecurity.
Such measures, he said, include the development of Nigeria National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021 , the Cybercrime Act 2015, proposed Data Protection Bill, NCC’s Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, NITDA’s Nigerian Data Protection Regulations, the National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020-2025 and the Nigerian Internet Code of Practice 2019.
He said the commission, has partnered with the Office of the National Security Adviser to establish a Communications Sector Computer Security Incident Response Team(CSIRT) to track cybersecurity incidences and to manage incidence reporting and investigation.
He said his agency has continued to publish several cybersecurity incidence reports and warnings/public notices on cyber threats and the necessary mitigation measures for adoption by the general public.
