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NCC Wants Checks On Cyber Criminals

This Day
Hilda Esin
13 Aug. 2008

The Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) has called on the Federal Government to pay particular attention to the devastating impact of cyber criminality and terrorism in the e-commerce and electronic fund transfer landscape. Particularly, this will check the incidence of cyber-related crime.

Speaking on the communiqué presented at the national conference and annual general meeting and 30th anniversary of the NCS with the theme, "Enabling capacities of Information Technology (IT) for sustainable national Development" (ENCITDEV 2008) held in Ogun State, the President (NCS), Prof. Charles Uwadia urged the government to begin training of civil servants in computer forensics and requested tertiary institutions to establish computer forensics departments for the training of more experts to combat internet criminality. Uwadia reiterated that failure to do this might sub-optimize or even derail the 2020 goal of becoming one of the greatest economies of the world.

Uwadia emphasized that IT remains a critical ingredient for accelerated wealth creation and a tool to combat corruption in public trust, there is need to fortify e-commerce security and e-payment lapses to shore up confidence in the system. He urged the government to further block legal and social loopholes militating against e-commerce implementation in Nigeria and concentrate on investing in IT infrastructural development and maintenance.

Uwadia said these would improve e-governance and the delivery of high quality health care through an integrated National Health Information System and Telemedicine. He also added that the deployment of m-commerce in health is expected to enhance the longevity of Nigerians and expand health care delivery to the hinterlands.

He appealed to the government to pay particular attention to the deployment of information technology for effective management of local governments through proper budgetary control and management. Improvement of electricity distribution, curb public sector corruption through an IT framework for automatic data collection and early detection of management frauds in public offices in Nigeria .

He said that the indigenous software development remains one of the best routes to national wealth and training/more experts in software. Engineering might help to accelerate software development in Nigeria for local consumption and Export, including the conversion of corporate legacy software applications to run on modern internet computing paradigm.

This he said, might help to save huge foreign exchange for enhanced GDP growth, create a snowballing effect on the economy and enlarge employment for the youth. "Nigeria software can only yield the desired effect to national economy if such software is developed with acceptable international standards embedded in software design and developing gap chasm", Uwadia said.

He said that the knowledge Engineers and Expertise in software engineer had become core wealth creators for nations, that its not the natural resource like oil but the ability of nations to use knowledge information appropriately to create wealth, so, the federal government should redouble her effort towards improved research and development in key sectors of the economy, particularly in software engineer and IT generally.

For these goal to be realized there is need for local software developers to apply usability engineering methologies and ISO standards as basis for designing prototypes before commercial production to the local software can compete effectively in the international markets, Uwadia stated.

He advised that the state and local government should create enabling environment for the effective deployment of e-payment system in the local government area of Nigeria . And Taxes could be collected through e-payment as this is likely to increase revenue base of each local government.

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May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm