The Director General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, has hinted of plans by the agency to partner the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Certified Fraud Investigator of Nigeria (CIFCFIN) to establish a cybersecurity laboratory in the country next year.
Irukera made this disclosure when he hosted a team from the CIFCFIN led by the President, Dr. Iliyasu Gashinbak, at the NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, the collaboration is crucial to promote digital forensics, enhance the nation’s tech ecosystem, and mitigate the surging incidents of cybercrimes in the country.
The industry expert noted that that cybercriminals had invested so much in research, information and communication technology (ICT), and other powerful tools as they continue their havocs on ICT systems in the global space, stressing that taking proactive steps to counter them in Nigeria has become imperative
Inuwa decried the increasingly devastating impacts on cybercrimes on organizations, individuals and the Nigerian economy in recent times, and harped on the need to build capacity for protection against the cybercriminals.
The Director-General said: “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 added.
While noting that some organizations in the country, especially businesses, do not take into cognizance the need to ensure cybersecurity while developing their digital services, Inuwa advised that business owners and organisaions should always design or digitize with security in mind in whatever we do because that is the only way we can be safe.
He expatiated: “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”, the Director-General added.
According to Inuwa, there have been different Cybersecurity training programs that have been held across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), adding that thousands of Nigerians have so far been trained both on the Cisco Academy and Coursera platforms.
In his remarks, the CIFCFIN’s President solicited the NITDA’s support with computers for the Nigerian College of Forensics and Fraud Investigators (NCFFI), technical assistance to deploy their combined e-portal and e-learning platforms as well as Postgraduate scheme and scholarship programs.
Gashinbak assured that the Institute would be committed to collaborating with the NITDA in its efforts to fulfil its statutory mandate.