By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has set 2024 to establish a cybersecurity laboratory to tackle the rising spate of cybercrimes in the country.
The lab will be carried out with support from the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Investigator of Nigeria (CIFCFIN), Mr Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, said on Monday in a statement issued by Mrs Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations in Abuja.
Mr Inuwa, while receiving CIFCFIN’s President, Mr Iliyasu Gashinbak and his team, said the collaboration was necessary to promote digital forensics, reinvigorate the tech ecosystem and mitigate cybercrimes in the digital space.
The director-general said that perpetrators of cybercrimes invested well in research, information technology, and powerful tools to launch attacks and taking proactive steps to counter them was non-negotiable.
“We invested in other technologies such as the Digital Fabrication Lab (FABLAB 1.0) and other labs around the country, but we are yet to build a Cybersecurity Laboratory.
“We already have in mind where it will be situated, but we will need all relevant stakeholders to be part of it so that the design and implementation of the centre can be fast-tracked.
“NITDA’s investment in the project would be done from next year; the centre will not be named as Forensics Lab but will also incorporate Cybersecurity into its nomenclature to cover other important areas of interest,” he said.
The NITDA chief decried the dangerous impact cybercrime had on the economy of the country, organisations and individuals, hence the need to build capacity for protection against unscrupulous elements.
He also said that some organisations do not take into cognisance the need to ensure cybersecurity while developing their digital services, which has fueled attacks by internet fraudsters.
“We should always design or digitise with security in mind in whatever we do because that is the only way we can be safe.
“NITDA has been proactive in taking critical measures toward protecting cyberspace through creating awareness, capacity building and infrastructure.
“Although we are doing our modest best in this regard, we know we cannot succeed in isolation; this explains why we welcome collaborations and work with key stakeholders and other sovereign nations to achieve the best result,” he said.
According to Mr Inuwa, different cybersecurity training programmes have been held across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), adding that thousands of Nigerians have so far been trained on the Cisco Academy and Coursera platforms.
He congratulated the group for the institute’s establishment Act of 2022, successfully signed into law on December 23, 2022, by erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari.
On his part, Mr Gashinbak appealed for computer support for the Nigerian College of Forensics and Fraud Investigators (NCFFI), technical assistance to deploy their combined e-portal and e-learning platforms, and Postgraduate scheme and scholarship programmes.
He said the institute would be committed to discharging its duties towards the success of the forged collaboration.
