The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has demonstrated its commitment to making sure that Nigerian children and youth are protected from cyber criminals and their antics, as it commenced a nationwide cybersecurity awareness campaign at a conference attended by students from 24 private and public secondary schools in Abuja.
The campaign which was held at NCC’s conference hall in Abuja gave concrete expression to the Commission’s effort at strengthening Child Online Protection within the country, especially as Nigeria deepens its embrace of the digital culture.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Technical Matters, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, applauded the intervention of the Commission in not only stimulating accessibility and availability of digital access to Nigerians but also making a priority the sensitization of users, especially the younger generation on the proper use of the Internet and enlightening them on how they can be protected when using the Internet.
Pantami, while addressing students and other participants at the event, commended the NCC leadership for the cybersecurity awareness initiative, stressing that as Federal Government was driving digital economy, through the ministry and its agencies, especially the NCC, it also places primacy on proper and continuous education of end-users of telecom services.
The Minister said together with its various agencies, the ministry was working to implement the eight pillars of its recently-unveiled National Digital Economy Strategy and Policy aimed at unleashing robust digital economy where everything is ICT-driven towards accelerating economic prosperity.
Also speaking, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the NCC sponsored cybersecurity enlightenment programme has a specific interest in online protection of youths especially the children both in public and private schools.
He said: “It is an undeniable fact that the Internet has become an indispensable element of everyday life, for that reason, our children and youths are not excluded; they are highly involved in the use of new technology applications, especially since it provides opportunity for research, learning, communication, entertainment, and business for those with entrepreneurial minds.”
NAN