Cybersecurity: Pantami dismisses claims of issuing false threat figures, as DG NITDA calls for regional partnerships
By Ibiyemi Mathew
The Minister of Communi cations and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami has dismissed claims that the figures reeled out by the ministry on cybersecurity threats experienced during the Presidential elections are false.
Reacting to claims by experts in an interview on Arise TV, Pantami said, “With all sense of humility I am the first fellow of Chartered Institute of Information Security in Africa and I have been conducting research in cybersecurity for over 20 years. So an expert cannot counter evidence with opinion but with confirmation of another evidence.
“The figures in the statement issued by my spokesperson are not from me alone but from 3 institutions of government that have been mandated to monitor what was happening during, before and after the elections so I stand by the figures we issued.
“Within 4 days we were able to gather 12 incidences by connecting the records from NITDA, NCC and Galaxy Backbone.
“The figures are not just figures on attacks only on the INEC server but the general attacks in Nigeria during the period. This statistics captured all cybersecurity threats whether major or minor incidences within the period,” he noted.
Speaking on the efforts of the current administration to strengthen Nigeria’s cyberspace, Pantami noted that the current administration should be applauded for the efforts it has taken.
According to him, “prior to 2019 we had no Centre asides an obsolete one at NITDA to monitor and tackle cyber threats in the country but the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned three centres namely the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA)’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), and Galaxy Backbone (GBB)’s Security Operations Centre (SOC).”
In the same vein, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa , has called on governments to be resilient in minimising the impact of cyberattacks on African Nations’ operations of critical infrastructure, national security, reputation, and economy.
Inuwa said this while speaking on ‘Strategies for Boosting Africa’s Cyber Resilience’ at the ongoing GISEC Global, a leading gathering ground for the cybersecurity community, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The DG said that to protect citizens and assets and genuinely harness the benefits of increasingly complicated digital reality, Africa cannot afford to be apathetic towards cybersecurity.
“With the right strategies and approaches, Africa can enhance its cybersecurity posture and build resilience against cyberattacks,” he said.
Inuwa added that, “African nations must work collaboratively to build and implement robust, inclusive, and proactive cyber resilience methodologies and comprehensive approaches to the identification and mitigation of critical vulnerabilities. This includes encouraging the exchange of collective knowledge and intelligence on cyber threats and promoting international cooperation in responding to cybercrime.”
