The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, announced that the parastatals under his ministry, including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Limited, successfully secured the Nigerian cyberspace before, during, and after the 2023 presidential election.
According to the minister, over 12 million cyber-attacks were thwarted during this period, contributing to a free and fair election.
This action was in line with the goals of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria (NDEPS), which necessitated the establishment of NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT), NCC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), and GBB’s Security Operations Centre (SOC).
The minister directed these centers to enhance their 24/7 monitoring of the networks and traffic to detect and mitigate potential threats.
During the period, the Ministerial Standing Committee on Advisory Role for the Protection of Nigerian Cyberspace and ICT Infrastructure chaired by the board chairman of NCC, monitored the telecommunication infrastructure and recorded 12,988,978 cyber-attacks, including DDoS, email, and IPS attacks, among others.
The parastatals, under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, played a significant role in ensuring a safe and secure cyberspace for the successful conduct of a credible, free, fair, and transparent election.
