Cybercrime Act 2024: Aliyu Urges FG to include NCS on National Cybersecurity Council

The national executive council of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has called on the Federal Government to enlist professionals into the National Cybersecurity Council.

The private and public organisations are continuously migrating their operations and services online, just as modern industrial facilities and production systems are also increasingly connected to computer networks for their control and security.

As the critical digital infrastructures continue to connect to computer and information networks; in the nearest future, nations would rely on these networks for essential service delivery.

Therefore, the cyberspace has become a driving force for productivity and development, which makes the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure a national security responsibility requiring government, public and private sector to collaborate and synergise.

On the other hand, increase in Internet connectivity is also associated proliferation of attack vectors, thus, increasing vulnerability of critical systems to attacks by criminals, non-state and state actors.

A Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS’) report shows that, while losses to fraud in the financial industry in the rose from N5.1billion as at first quarter to N9.5 billion as at July 2023.

In meeting Government goal of ensuring a secure cyberspace for Nigeria, Section 41 (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 mandates (now amended) the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to “ensure formulation and effective implementation of a comprehensive National Cybersesurity Strategy and a National Cybersecurity Policy for Nigeria”.

In continuance of this mandate, ONSA has developed an Action for implementing the National Cybersecurity Strategy. The objective of the Action Plan is to outline government priorities, plan and direction for implementing the strategy.

Accordingly, the draft Action Plan identifies suggested activities, roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders with deliverables, timeline and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for measuring progress towards effective implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

One of such stakeholders in this cyberspace is the Nigeria Computer Society. The national executive council of the Society is wondering why the Federal Government has not deemed it obligatory to include NCS on the National Cybersecurity Council hence they are calling for crucial review.

This, the Nigeria Computer Society’s national executive council said, is to ensure the inclusion of the 45-year-old foremost IT Professional Group in Nigeria, on the Cybersecurity Council as stipulated in the Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act and the Cybercrime Prohibition and Prevention Act 2004 (as Amended).

Dr. Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu, president of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), said while speaking to journalists in Lagos, that the non-inclusion of the NCS in the Cybersecurity Council, as stated in the amended Cybercrime Act 2024, is a matter of concern.

Aliyu said that NCS has been the voice of Information Technology professionals for the past four decades now.  “Presently with over 20,000 members spread across all sectors of the economy, NCS continues to expand and grow in might and relevance.

“The National Executive Council (NEC) under my leadership is determined to be strategic, innovative, and forward-looking in the running of the affairs of our great society. I want to assure you that we have made NCS the only platform for promoting IT development and enhancing corporate relevance. Together we shall move the Information Technology profession to desirable heights in Nigeria.

“Thus, as a key stakeholder in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem, the NCS is committed to contributing its expertise and resources towards enhancing national cybersecurity. We urge relevant authorities to reconsider this decision and ensure that all relevant stakeholders are adequately represented in decision-making processes concerning cybersecurity”, Dr. Aliyu said.

He  highlighted that IT professionals should be involved in the implementation of the Act which offers Nigerian authorities an efficient, cohesive, and all-encompassing legal, regulatory, and institutional framework for the outlawing, averting, identifying, prosecuting, and punishing of cybercrimes.

Speaking on the Cybersecurity levy, the NCS President said,“It is a good development that the government has reversed itself; had it been stakeholders’ inputs where incorporated, the embarrassing situation would have been curtailed”.

On his part, Dr. Charles Onyeukwu, deputy president of NCS, lauded the Federal Government on the push for AI inclusion into the national development plans, through the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.

Onyeukwu, however, restated that NCS deserves more presence and recognitions in the government sphere as they (NCS members) are expects in information technology.

“We want to see government invite us to make contributions towards IT related policies. As experts we continue to research on new ways of doing things and are always ready to contribute during policy formulation.

Prof. Adesina Sodiya, the immediate past president of NCS also said that government needs to listen more to the stakeholders.

According to Sodiya, “When the Cybercrime Act 2015 was up for a review, we were invited, but didn’t hear any time a public hearing was held. The news came as a surprise that the Act has been amended and passed.

“Any crime that affects critical national infrastructure like cybercrime must be curbed. However, you do not cut off the head to cure the headache.

“On Financial Institutions, they experience breaches almost all the time. We are interested in working with them on strategic approach to have a robust system,” Sodiya added.