President Bola Tinubu has directed Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to focus on bolstering the nation’s cybersecurity.
This directive is part of Tinubu's broader commitment to enhancing social security and addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.
The president emphasized the need for robust measures to counter the rise in social media-driven subversive activities since 2020. Additionally, Tinubu aims to enhance Nigeria’s reputation as a secure destination for foreign direct investment.
The president noted that since 2020, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the use of social media to spread subversive messages and incite violence and unrest.
Tinubu who gave this directive, while commissioning the ultramodern and digitalized National Cybercrime Centre and Nigeria Police Resource Centre, in Abuja, also called for the elimination of inter-agency rivalries urging the law enforcement agencies to embrace a coordinated and collaborative approach.
Represented by Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, the president also disclosed that the federal government has taken a number of major policy decisions, including the review of the National Cybercrime Strategy, which will work towards mitigating multifaceted threats posed by cybercrimes.
President Tinubu also urged the Inspector General of Police to effectively utilize the facility to protect Nigeria’s cyberspace and ensure that it is used for the enhancement of national development and economic progress.
He said: “It is my hope that this center will complement the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA), in the protection of our critical national infrastructures by enabling a greater level of scrutiny of the online activities of those who seek to cause damage to our national interests. The security situation in the country is a complex blend of threats posed by well-organized non-state actors”.