Nigeria ranks 35 globally in e-business-NITDA

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

Kashifu however, emphasized the need for safeguarding cyberspace as more people and businesses move to the Internet.

The NITDA boss spoke at the 2021 International Legislative-Stakeholders’ Conference on Digital Technology And Cybersecurity organised by the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime in partnership with NITDA.

Speaking at the conference themed “The Digital Theater and the future of Nigeria” Inuwah who was represented by the Agency’s Head of Legal Unit, Mr Emmanuel Edet said,”Nigeria ranks 35 in doing e-business globally and while we are at it, we need safe cyberspace.

“NITDA is ensuring that we use IT to develop the economy in Nigeria and while doing that, we cannot ignore the dangers which include cyber crime and insecurity.”

Also speaking, Nigeria’s Senate President, Ahmed Lawan raised concerns over the growing spate of insecurity in cyberspace, stating that there was an urgent need to protect the nation from the dangers it portends.

Lawan who was represented by Senator Hassan Hadejia said he was positive the three-day would provide the platform for lawmakers to liaise with stakeholders on how best to protect the future, faced with threats of cybersecurity, examine all dimensions of the subject through a wide range of consultations and identify the key issues.

He added that the conference would assist in developing methods of addressing the issues and come up with appropriate and sustainable conclusions and recommendations on which the Senate would base its upcoming laws and policies around cybersecurity and cybercrime.

He said, “Digital technology has triggered revolutions in human activities and created new patterns and peculiarities. It has also shaped human relations in the economic, social and political spheres, leading to unique experiences and improvements in human affairs.

“The experiences are continuing, even in a competitive way, showing the tendency of humanity to be creative in forming fresh opportunities for managing businesses, private and public lives.

‘Though digital experiences are global, the experiences of utilization have been most felt at the local or national levels and challenge the abilities of nation-states to manage it from their own viewpoints.

“Cybersecurity issues have emerged as a by-product of the revolution, resulting in the need to devise ways of mitigating or containing its threat. This is in line with the tendencies of inventions to come with weaknesses, which society has to respond to in order to enhance the chances of a seamless application.

“New realities of threat, misconduct and a growing trend of perverting it have characterized the evolution of systems. The growth of digital technology has not been different, and which is why we are today talking about resolving the question of cybersecurity in the nation’s interest”

In her remarks, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard also affirmed that while digital technologies create exciting new opportunities, they also introduce new threats and risks of misuse. She however, noted that freedom of expression, including through the internet, was an important component of an efficient democratic society.

She said, “Although digital technologies create exciting new opportunities particularly for an entrepreneurial young and innovative population like Nigeria’s, these technologies also introduce new threats and risks of misuse. As more of our lives and our businesses move on to digital platforms, it becomes ever more important to pursue an internet that is open, interoperable, secure and reliable. “While all democracies face the challenges of hateful or divisive speech, mine included freedom of expression, including through the internet, is an essential element of a strong, tolerant democratic society.

” Like the United States, Nigeria has made significant strides in security, the digital economy and combating cybercrime, as evidenced by its invitation to a C to the Budapest convention on cybercrime. At the same time, however, both of our countries have a long way to go to reduce the risk that these threats in cyberspace pose. We’ve all seen the disruption that hackers can cause to critical infrastructure, the human costs of ransomware attacks on hospitals and the consequences when foreign interference undermines democratic processes.

“Any nation’s ability to effectively prevent, detect, mitigate and respond to threats in cyberspace depends in part on the capacity, cooperation and resilience of global partners, the private sector, civil society and the public. Global challenges require global solutions and we are eager to continue to build on our partnerships to advance those solutions.”

Leaonard further warned the government on permitting untrusted telecommunications suppliers to participate in or control any part of a 5g network as it would create distasteful risks to national security, critical infrastructure, privacy and respect for human rights.

“A key aspect of safeguarding the security of our digital technologies is ensuring that countries and citizens can trust the equipment and software they are using. This is especially true as a guarantee that new 5g technology and infrastructure will not introduce risks that threaten national security, personal privacy or human rights. This is a particularly timely issue for Nigeria, as Nigeria prepares for next week’s 5g spectrum auction and looks to roll out Nigeria’s 5g networks after the New Year.

” We believe it is essential that governments, telecom operators and network users prioritize security when building out their 5g networks. National measures must be crafted to mitigate significant security risks from high risk suppliers regardless of national origin by precluding such suppliers from providing equipment software and services to 5g network infrastructure.

“Allowing untrusted telecommunications suppliers to participate in or control any part of a 5g network creates unacceptable risks to national security, critical infrastructure, privacy and respect for human rights” she stated.