By Dwelleth Morountodun
With increasing threats and invasion of Nigeria’s cyberspace even across MDAs and organised private sector, the President, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Adesina Sodiya, has averred that the Society’s current momentum of conferences, sensitization outreach and workshop across the country is geared at enhancing the country’s cybersecurity.
While further underscoring the reasons for its frequent stakeholder’s workshop and sensitization programmes across the country, he added that such engagement and knowledge sharing of stakeholders’ expertise in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem is a strategy that will enhance the safety and security of Nigeria’s cyber space.
The President who spoke at the side line of the Stakeholder’s Forum 2.0, organised by Society, at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, expressed optimism that the recommendations from its deliberations will assist government at all levels, individuals and the organised private in enhancing the nation’s cybersecurity.
He said: “With the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), University Lecturers, Bankers and other agencies that are represented today you can be sure that what we are going to come up with recommendations that will assist government in taking proactive decisions on how to enhance our nation’s cybersecurity.
According to Sodiya, the current wave of cybercrime informed NCS’s National Executive Council (NEC) to engage MDAs and the private sector on cyber security and the deployment of counter measure for secured cyber space.
He said: “When we came onboard IN 2019, we discovered that we have not been doing much in cyber security, therefore we moved quickly to articulate our plans which is the result of the cybersecurity 2.0 that you are witnessing today, adding that the essence of the programme is to develop strategise on how to improve Nigeria’s cybersecurity.
The President, who said NCS has over 20,000 active members across the country, added: “We are all aware that cyber threat is on the increase not only in Nigeria but globally and other countries of the world. And because of the digital infrastructure that we have, anybody that is going to perpetrate cybercrime does not need to be in Nigeria, that person can be in China or India and attack a company in Nigeria.
“And of course, the situation is not abating, it is on the increase and that is why NCS has decided to take a lead in championing the development of robust cybersecurity in Nigeria.”
While another related programme is being planned for the first of August in Abeokuta, he stressed the programmes is put together for organisations, individuals, experts from different sectors of the economy to come together to discuss how to improve cybersecurity in Nigeria.
On partnership with the National Open University, he explained that NOUN has become a long-time partner of NCS, adding: “This event will be the sixth that is being held in NOUN, Abuja. The NCS also has a programme that is called Research and Development (R/D) workshop.
He expressed appreciation to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Femi Peters, for his willingness and approval of the use of the University facility to run NCS’s various programmes.
Sodiya, explained that this can also be attributed to the fact that the current VC is passionate about Information Technology (IT) development and of course you will also notice that NOU is driving their processes and operations using IT and so it was not difficult for him to give his approval of the University as the venue for our programmes.