From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has dragged Account Officers of the scheme into the classroom to drill them on online financial safety transactions.
Speaking during the workshop held in Abuja on Monday, Director-General, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, charged the participants to be vigilant and always safeguard the scheme’s online financial transactions.
The interactive meeting involved the NYSC State, FCT and Ventures Management Accountants, with the Offices of the Accountant-General and Auditor-General of the Federation.
The DG spoke at a workshop on the theme: “The importance and Challenges of Cyber Security in the Transaction of Public Business in the 21st Century”.
General Ibrahim further noted that the phenomenal rise and sophistication of cybercrimes call for vigilance on the part of NYSC financial operators, in order to secure the scheme’s data networks and devices from hackers.
While adding that the present cashless approach has also brought lots of unintended consequences, such as hacking of data, spamming, ATM fraud, identity theft and other nefarious acts, he urged the participants to be vigilant.
‘This meeting is intended to adequately equip you with measures to mitigate, and even foil cyber-attack on our networks and devices which will ultimately safeguard all NYSC online financial transactions,’ he said.
The Director-General further noted that the management is determined to address the challenges and dangers posed by cyber criminalities, while also entrenching transparency in NYSC financial administration.
Advising the participants, he urged them to ‘use the workshop to evolve ways to prevent the vulnerability of NYSC Financial Information uploaded on the internet, develop and nurture a culture of cybersecurity, as well as guard jealousy, your log-on details including your passwords.’
He commended the general performance of State Accountants, warning that the management will not tolerate any shortcoming in the performance of their statutory responsibilities.
Speaking earlier, the Director, Finance and Accounts, Mkinebari Adokor, noted that beyond the demonstration of the age-long culture and ethics of honesty, accountability and hard work which are key attributes of the accounting profession must be their watchword.
He said the federal government developed GIFMIS and Remita Platforms for payment for goods and services, adding: ‘There is the need to educate and enlighten NYSC Finance Officers on various internet-related dangers and challenges and also fashion out robust ways of protecting networks, programmes and devices from attacks or unauthorised access in order to sustain confidentiality and reliability in the net.’