Experts who spoke at the just concluded CTO forum in Lagos, said improved security was a prerequisite for wooing investors both locally and internationally, even as they described the ICT sector as an enabler for the growth of other sectors of the economy.
Chief Executive Officer for Chams Plc, Demola Aladekomo, said for a nation to be technologically secure, there had to be efficient identity management infrastructure.
Aladekomo, who spoke on the topic: “Building a World-Class security network for Nigeria”, opined that without a proper national identification cheme in place, criminals would continue to indulge in cyber crime unchecked.
He added that some of the internal and external security issues that countries grapple with are information theft and hacking, cyber attacks, terrorism, drug trafficking, child trafficking, advanced fee fraud and others.
Aladekomo also stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders, said that seminars, symposiums, training, and awareness on the dangers would go a long way in mitigating the impact of cyber crime in the country.
“Crime thrives in a climate of anonymity and developing an effective security network in Nigeria starts with the unique identification of citizens and the creation of a national database.”
Regional Certification representative of ASIS Region XLIV, Ona Ekhomu, who presented a paper titled “American Society for Industrial Corporate Security: Our Experience Managing Corporate Security in Nigeria”, stated that there was a need for regional cooperation in West Africa.
Ekhomu noted that some of the future challenges that would evolve in a non-technology secured country include computer/internet crimes, ATM/Credit card fraud among others.
Mr. Peter Olayiwola of Computer Forensics Federation of Nigeria (Cfin), who shared Ekhomu’s sentiment, called for the enactment of electronic legislation that would make it possible to prosecute electronic fraudsters in the country.
He explained that the advance fee fraud scheme had given the country a bad name, stressing that with electronic laws in place, it would become easier to prosecute offenders in Nigeria, adding that 92 per cent of crimes committed in the country today are done online.
According to him, electronic evidence has yet to be admissible in our law courts, adding that the legislature was working on the Evidence Act, which has passed the second reading and hopefully, before the end of the year, would be passed into law.
Chief Executive Officer for Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, charged the youth to be innovative and see technology as an advantage and not an avenue for criminal enterprise.
He added that Nigeria ranks amongst the top 10 fastest growing telecoms markets in the world, which he attributed to the huge population, sector liberalisation, years of yearning for telecoms services, competitiveness and profitability of the sector .
Donna Blair, U.S. Consul General in Nigeria, who declared open the CTO exhibition, said this year’s theme: “Leveraging Technology to Secure Nigeria’s Future”, was chosen because it is believed that a multi-faceted secure environment is essential to rapid economic growth.
IKECHUKWU OSODO in Lagos, Nigeria
