Professor Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, inaugurated on Thursday in Abuja a committee led by Prof. Adeolu Akande, Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to advise the Federal Government on appropriate measures to take in protecting the nation’s cyberspace and ICT infrastructure from potential attacks, particularly during the 2023 General Elections.
The Minister, who represented President Mohammadu Buhari, announced that the Committee was formed in response to Mr. President’s directive that he establish a committee to coordinate computer security centers in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, in collaboration with other relevant institutions, in order to intercept potential cyber-attacks.
He stated that with the increased role of ICT in online activities, as well as its critical role in the conduct of the 2023 General Elections in accordance with the Electoral Act, as amended, the Committee’s job will assist the nation in conducting free, fair, and credible elections.
He directed the Committee, which he serves on alongside the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, and the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Abdullahi, among other ministry CEOs, to work around the clock from Friday, February 24, 2023, until Monday, February 27, 2023.
He also stated that the committee will receive complaints about any attacks on critical infrastructure and will ensure that such complaints are escalated to relevant institutions, public or private, for necessary corrective actions.
Prof. Mohammad Abubakar, CEO of Galaxy Backbone, and Prof. Aminu Ahmad, Special Assistant to the Hon. Minister on Digital Economy, are members of the committee, which also includes key agency directors.
“Our main responsibilities in this committee are more advisory.” Firstly, when it comes to intercepting potential attacks that may come to our cyberspace. The Committee will coordinate the NCC’s Computer Security
Incident Response Team at NCC; the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Galaxy Backbone National Cybersecurity Centre.
“These three centers must work together, complement each other and ensure they intercept any potential attacks on our cyberspace, particularly on our Critical Infrastructure during the election so that we could either take action or provide necessary advice to the government,” Pantami said.
He said the Committee will work closely with institutions such as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), mobile network operators (MNOs), among others, to collectively safeguard Nigeria’s cyberspace from potential attacks or cases of vandalism and fiber cuts during the election.
“The challenges of protecting our cyberspace is a collective national responsibility; it is a national assignment. As a sector, we would play our responsibility objectively and professionally. We would work collectively rather than working individually as agencies since we are in the same sector,” he added.
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