• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Buhari alerts on rising e-fraud activities, cyber crimes

Cyber crimes

President Muhammadu Buhari has raised concerns over possible rise in electronic fraud and other cyber-related crimes, saying efforts must be intensified at protecting consumers of technological evolution from criminal elements.

Specifically, President Buhari charged telecoms regulators to be alive to their responsibilities in order to ensure the realisation of the benefits of technology in the various sectors of the economy.

The President gave the charge at the Second Edition of the Conference of African Telecommunications Regulators on Consumer Affairs (CATCO) on Tuesday in Abuja.

Buhari, who was represented by Polycarp Shambo, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, maintained that information and communication technology (ICT) had become a catalyst for economic growth across nation’s of the world.

He, therefore, charged African telecoms regulators on the need to ensure efficiency in service delivery, in order to achieve optimal results.

This was as the President informed the regulators and other participants at the conference that the ICT sector had remained the main driver of his administration’s transformation agenda.

President Buhari said: “Globally, technological evolution has facilitated innovations in various sectors of the economy such as banking, agriculture, healthcare, commerce, entertainment, transport, and so on, bringing a lot of efficiency in service delivery as we are witnessing in Nigeria.

“However, these channels may also be hijacked and manipulated to the detriment of vulnerable consumers as can be demonstrated by rise in e-fraud activities and cybercrimes.

“It is in this light that I wish to charge telecoms regulators in Africa that, as you focus on deepening access to digital services in your respective countries, attention must also be paid to how consumers are empowered to be protected from the antics of abusers of these technologies. This, therefore, underscores the relevance of this forum in our digital ecosystem.”

Earlier in his keynote address, the executive vice chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Dambatta, recalled that during the maiden edition of CATCO, a 17-point resolution was reached on various approaches African regulators could adopt, with a view to safeguarding and protecting telecoms consumers.

Dambatta said since the 2013 edition of the conference, has not held owing to some circumstances beyond the commission’s control.

“It is based on the foregoing that I most earnestly consider the theme for this second edition of CATCO: ‘Empowering the Telecom Consumer in an Era of Technological Evolution ” apt, as it provides another veritable platform for us to discuss the technological evolution that has characterised the telecommunications space in the last six years”, Dambatta said.