From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Following the sharp practices associated with the new information technology across the glob, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is into partnership with government at all levels in Nigeria to tackle the menace of cyber thefts that had bedeviled the nation in recent times.
The agency as a result of the development had declared that efforts must be made to keep all Nigerians abreast to acquire enough knowledge and enlightenment to stay safe over the insecurity surrounding the use of Cyberspace.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Isa Ibrahim disclosed this in a welcome address delivered at a-one-day cyber security sensitization workshop organized by the agency for states in the North-Central Zone of Nigeria held in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital on Tuesday.
The Director-General lamented that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) came with challenges in cyberspace which is currently breeding ground that had caused lots of security havocs to both individuals and nations world over.
According to him ‘ the major crimes that followed the advent of ICT had been that of financial frauds and arbitrary hawking of private information of individuals, government and nongovernmental organizations’
Ibrahim also stressed the need for government at all levels to give priority to physical and cyber securities as part of their obligation to protect the lives and property of citizens in the hands of criminal elements.
The Director-General however, solicited the support of government towards investment in cyber firms, which he said would boost tremendously the economy as well as cyber warfare of so many nations using digital technologies.
Speaking on behalf of Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi and Nasarawa states that make up the North-Central zone in Nigeria, the Kogi state Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya praised NITDA for putting in place the workshop which she described as timely in averting the hazards faced by the people using cyberspace.
The commissioner gave the assurance that the states in North-Central zone will key into the efforts of finding lasting solution to the problem of fraudulent activities linked with the use of cyberspace.
