The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that Nigeria is currently the third most affected country plagued by cybercrimes, with the US and UK in the top positions. This is according to a report by the Premium Times.
The revelation was made by Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, on 22 August 2017, at the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos, as revealed by the Nigerian Communications Week.
Danbatta, who was speaking during a breakout session during the conference, said the number of internet users in Nigeria has hit 91.6 million.
“About N127 billion was the estimated loss to cybercrime in Nigeria in 2015; Nigeria ranks third in global internet crimes behind the UK and U.S. A critical factor militating against Africa’s economic resurgence is the weakness of its institutions,” revealed the NCC chairman.
Danbatta, who was a panellist, said that “Nigeria ranks 169 out of 199 on the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings; we are in a middle of a revolution and the rise of what we call the networked society.”
He also emphasised that the NCC has put laws of engagement into place that will aim to make the cyberspace in Nigeria safe and ensure the confidence back in the cyberspace.
“There are benefits and risks of the use of cyberspace and both have to be properly managed,” Danbatta concluded.
Edited By: Dean Workman
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