How huge fine, cybercrime characterised telecom, ICT in 20162016

The  revelation by the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu in October 2016, that Nigeria lost about N78 billion to the activities of cyber criminals who target financial institutions and government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), jolted so many ICT enthusiasts.   Shittu disclosed at the opening ceremony of the National Computer Science Conference on Cyber […]

The  revelation by the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu in October 2016, that Nigeria lost about N78 billion to the activities of cyber criminals who target financial institutions and government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), jolted so many ICT enthusiasts.  

Shittu disclosed at the opening ceremony of the National Computer Science Conference on Cyber Security and The Emerging African Economies at the Igbinedion University in Okada, Edo State, that Nigeria had lost about N159 billion in the last 13 years to cybercrime alone. He said the country was increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals and hackers because new prospects and emerging trends in cyber security were on the increase globally. 

Speaking on the indispensability of the cyberspace to global development, the minister said the internet and digital technologies were the biggest transformational forces in the world today, with over five billion internet-connected devices globally generating over $ 10 billion to the global economy in 2015.

“The changing nature of economic and territorial threats has become a major concern. The growing role of cyberspace has opened up new threats as well as new opportunities as a country. We have to find ways to confront and overcome these threats if we are to remain functional as a sovereign entity in an increasingly competitive and globalised world,” Shittu stated.

But he said the federal government was sensitising, raising awareness by creating the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to handle computer security incidents. 

The government is also examining the implementation framework of the Cyber Security Act, with amendments where necessary, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), according to the minister.

But just as the rate of cybercrimes was increasing in the country, so also is the number of Nigerians who have access to broadband internet. 

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said in November that no fewer than 30million Nigerians had access to broadband services across the country. The executive vice chairman of the NCC, Prof Umar Garuba Danbatta, disclosed this at the third Steering Committee meeting of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Centres of Excellence Africa Network in Abuja.

Prof Danbatta said Nigeria had crossed 20per cent broadband penetration and the country was already on its way to achieving its 30per cent penetration by 2018.

Because of this achievement, he said Nigeria would soon be standing side by side with most advanced economies of the world in terms of broadband services.

He also claimed that Nigeria’s feat in broadband may catapult it out of the current recession.

To maintain the tempo of broadband penetration, Mr  Shittu canvassed for more communications satellites to enable NigComSat-1R serve Nigeria better in the areas of telecommunications services and broadband penetration. Shittu stated this at the National Assembly special sectoral debate on the diversification of the Nigerian economy.

He noted that NIGCOMSAT Limited, which presently operates only one satellite (NigComSat-1R), needs to improve its fleet to enhance customer confidence and enable the company effectively compete in this strategic sector. 

The National Assembly debate, which was to showcase the impact of all ministries on the Nigerian economy, was informed by the minister that NIGCOMSAT Limited’s patronage by ministries and agencies of government was yet to improve significantly as would be desired because it operates a lone satellite as these MDAs utilise foreign satellites at huge cost to the country. He reiterated the need for the National Assembly to make laws that would assist the agency play the critical role in contributing to national socio-economic development and growth, especially in the ICT sector. 

Earlier in the year, there were concerns that the national telephone users’ subscriber identification module (SIM) card registration exercise may not achieve its objectives as some vendors were compromising the exercise. Investigations by Daily Trust on Sunday revealed that some vendors were back in the market selling already registered SIM cards to people.  

The telecoms operators were supposed to be the ones taking the phone users’ data, but the vendors who sold at the open markets did this so that a supposedly registered buyer of a SIM could make call for some hours before being cut off the network by the operators.

At Wuse market in Abuja, our reporter bought a particular network line from a vendor who took his biodata and ‘registered’ him. He told him he could use the line for few hours pending proper registration from the network provider’s office. 

Also, at Area One part of the capital city, the vendors there sold SIMs for would-be buyers and got them registered for temporary use. Our reporter bought another SIM there where he was able to make call for few hours before he was asked by the network providers to register it or risk being barred.

Also during the year, inactive telephone lines jumped to 68million from 66million as harsh economy situation ate deep into telecoms sector growth. 

During the year, there were 217, 140, 404 connected lines but only 149, 818, 906 were active, according to the latest industry information report on the NCC website.

The report shows that there are 213.1m connected GSM lines, out of which only 149.1m are currently active (as at June 2016) while CDMA has 3.6m connected lines, out which only 454, 092 are in use. The fixed lines/wireless had only 170, 539 active lines out total connected lines of 353, 201.

But experts said the decline in the sector might be temporary as activities may pick up again when the economy is fixed.

Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo said the telecoms sector was bound to be affected like every other sector in the country. He said many Nigerians had left the country in search of better life elsewhere, and this would definitely tell on the number of active lines in the country. But he believed the sector had fared better in spite the economic challenges.

“All in all, the sector has not performed badly even in spite of all this. It is still one of the leading contributors to the economy and it is still buoyant,” he said.      

Findings by Daily Trust on Sunday showed that Nigerians reduced their purchase of call/data credit because of recession.

Also during the year under review, telecoms operators had many challenges, ranging from the fine slammed on them, to the closure of their base stations and their inability to access forex. 

The year will also be remembered for unfulfilled promise of Indian ICT investors as disclosed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). 

About 10 information and technology companies from India will soon set up shops in Nigeria, the NITDA said early in the year.

The  then acting director-general of the NITDA, Dr Vincent Olatunji, who disclosed this in an interview in Abuja at the sideline of the inauguration of the Local Organising Committee for this year’s GITEX Technology Exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said the agency had been assured by notable technology companies in India of multibillionaire investment in software, hardware and outsourcing companies.

“About three weeks ago, we were in India and we met with one Prof Goya, who is in charge of some private companies in the country. We discussed with him and he promised to bring not less than 10 India companies to invest in Nigeria. We have discussed this with the federal government,” Dr Olatunji said.

The NITDA also said that over 50 per cent of Nigerian cities would achieve ‘Smart Status’ by 2019.

Dr Olatunji said the agency would develop, deploy and manage smart IT solutions in the cities for the benefit of residents of the cities.

“The NITDA is keen to promoting the development of smart city technology and projects as key national policy. At an extremely conservative rate of one smart solution in each zone annually, exclusive of Abuja and Lagos, which have special status in the programme, we are confident of going ‘smart’ in over 50per cent of our cities by 2019,” he said.  

Also, the employment and sack of over 245 staff of the NITDA generated controversy between the affected staff and the minister of communications.

The 245 NITDA staff “duly” employed in November, 2015 were summarily asked to stay off work on the order of the minister after the agency had asked them to open salary accounts and choose their pension administrators. 

But Adebayo told Daily Trust on Sunday that the staff were employed through the back door by a former director-general of the NITDA, Peter Olu Jack.

But Kabiru Abubakar Mustapha, the spokesman of the aggrieved staff, countered the minister, saying the NITDA duly employed them. He explained that the agency got approval from the ministry’s former permanent secretary, Dr Tunji Olaopa and the Federal Character Commission (FCC) before it started recruiting them.