By Emmanuel Elebeke

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and  National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) have agreed to partner in order to lessen the shortfall of manpower in forensic expert in the country.

The expertise are expected to assist government address the challenges of cyber attacks in the country.

This was  disclosed  when the Director General, NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, received his counterpart, the Commandant, NISS, Alhaji Saheed Adeleke, on courtesy visit at the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters, Abuja.

In his welcome address, Mallam Abdullahi,  applauded the commandant of NISS and his management team for taking the initiative to seek collaboration with NITDA in making Nigeria a better and safer place to live.

The DG stated that most government and private processes are prone to hacks and cyber attacks, and it has become imperative to improve on capacity building for security agencies and private outfits to produce more forensic experts in combating these crimes.

According to the NITDA DG, “the trending COVID-19 pandemic has forced the digitization of processes and disrupts the normal way of life globally. This has led to increase in cyber attacks and crime waves, necessitating collaborative efforts of relevant organ of government to ensure safe, secure and digitally safe country.”

He expressed optimism  that the two organizations have what it takes to proffer strategic initiatives which will help in safeguarding the lives and properties of all citizens of Nigeria as well as the sustainability of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).

He said the agency usually collaborates with private and government institutions because, according to him, no one can operate in isolation.

 “In governance, there’s no way you can work in silos and expect success. The world is going digital now and for any objective organization, they must embrace digitization”, t he said.

He opined  that NITDA has set up Digital Transformation Technical Working Group for MDA’s that oversees the entire digital architecture whereby valuable information are shared through relevant platforms.

While speaking on several regulatory instruments put in place by NITDA to support digital economy, Abdullahi said Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) stood out as a unique instrument targeted at protecting the ‘oil’ of digital economy which is data.

“I am sure you manage a lot of people’s data at your institute and NDPR, which is an initiative by NITDA, will give clear directions on how to manage people’s information and data” the DG disclosed.

“One of our mandates is to use information technology to improve national security and this cannot be taken for granted because at the NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, (SRAP 2021-2024), cyber security is one of the 7 strategic pillars we are working on”, he said.

The Commandant, Alh. AS Adeleke, earlier informed that the Institute is currently running its 14th series flagship programme which has 66 participants undergoing various courses from agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Customs Service, Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and many others.

He said, “Managing security of the nation should be a collective responsibility which is why we would like to tap and collaborate with you, most especially in areas of cybersecurity, in order to achieve optimum security for the nation.”

He expressed his willingness to train some staff of the Agency in any of their offered security courses while inviting the DG to pay a working visit to their facilities at the Lower Usman Dam, Bwari, to enjoy the serenity of their learning environment. An offer the DG promised to explore.

Highlight of the event was the setting up of a 4-man committee to look at areas of mutual collaboration and make necessary recommendations for the benefit of the parties.