Umar Danbatta, the executive vice chairman (EVC) and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said the need to be cybersecurity-conscious to guarantee online safety for Internet users is everyone’s business and not reserved for a group of people.
Danbatta stated this to herald the commencement of a series of enlightenment and awareness campaign activities being embarked upon by the commission for this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM).
The month of October every year is NCSAM globally, aimed at raising awareness about cybersecurity, and to provide the public with general knowledge and tools required for online safety.
He said Internet users across mobile networks in Nigeria currently stand at 149.8 million as at August, 2020, noting that more users are expected online as services in different sectors of the economy are becoming digitalised .
He stated that the increase in digital financial transactions for e-commence activities calls for greater responsibility on the part of individuals and corporate internet users to protect themselves against cybercrimes.
According to Danbatta, as the commission embarks on various policy initiatives to drive pervasive broadband penetration to achieve increased digital inclusiveness, it is not unmindful of those who use Internet to carry out nefarious and dubious activities in the cyber space.
“To keep the genuine individual and corporate Internet users safe, the NCC, as regulator of the telecom sector, annually joins the rest of the world to create a lot of enlightenment around cybercrime in the month of October every year.
“We ensure that consumers are empowered through awareness and sensitisation campaigns, by providing information on both the positive and negative potentials available online, and measures required to safeguard themselves and their loved ones,” the EVC said.
Danbatta emphasised that “Security is not reserved for a group of people, it is truly everyone’s business; bringing competence and knowledge to help build a safer and more inclusive information society.”
The EVC restated the commitment of the commission to continually embark on policy initiatives to enhance online security as well as educate and equip the consumers of telecoms services with information they need to be protected online.
