Ben Dunno, Warri
Management of Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) has canvassed the need for an intense enlightenment campaign on cybercrime trends in order to protect the cyberspace from criminals.
The Director of Consumers Affairs Bureau, NCC, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, gave this advice while delivering a lecture at the 51st edition of Consumer Townhall Meeting held in Warri, Delta state,
She represented the Deputy Director, Consumer Affair Bureau, Ismail Adedigba, at the stakeholders meeting. She noted that without consumers becoming aware of cybercrime trends and making efforts to ensure safe use of connected devices, cyber criminals would continue to make the cyberspace unsafe.
While disclosing that the theme was chosen for deliberation this year in order to highlight the threat of cybercrime to all users of Telecom services, Onwuegbuchulam said the essence was to sensitize consumers on the role they need to play to protect themselves.
“However, it is our belief at the NCC that one of the most effective ways to protect Telecom consumers from the effect of cybercrime is through continues consumer education and awareness such as the one we are having here today.
“Therefore, the Commission is committed to using it’s various outreach programmes to embark on series of awareness campaign with a view to keeping consumers well informed on the risk being associated with being online, enlightening them on safety measures to take when they use connected devices as simple as feature phone, smart phones and other more sophisticated internet enabled devices,” she said.
Adedigba, who also spoke on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba, said the programme was being put together for Telecom consumers in the rural and semi-urban areas with the service providers as well as the regulators for a direct face-to-face interactions on Telecom issues affecting the consumers.
Garba said realising that liberalisation of the telecom industry has led to unprecedent increase in the usage and dependence on internet-based solutions and services, NCC established an Internet Industry Code of Practice for internet service providers in the country.