Senate committee engages telecom stakeholders ahead of national security summit
As part of efforts to tackle rising insecurity in the country, the Nigerian Senate’s Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity has held an interactive session with key players in the communications sector ahead of the forthcoming National Security Summit.
Participants included lawmakers, telecom operators, cybersecurity experts, and representatives from major regulatory bodies such as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Declaring the session open, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele stressed the urgent need to strengthen and safeguard the nation’s digital assets as a critical component of national security.
“If we do not fix our digital architecture,” Bamidele said, “we will be building a national future on quicksand”.
According to the chairman of the Committee, Senator Afolabi Shuaib, who convened the high-level interactive session, On his part, said there is urgent need for the government, regulators and industry players to act towards making the proposed summit a success.
“Technology has become a double-edged sword,” Senator Shuaib warned. “While it fuels innovation and growth, it is also enabling crime, extortion, harassment, and terrorism. If we don’t act now, we’ll be chasing shadows at the National Security Summit.”
Other senators who spoke at the session decried a situation where “kidnappers are collecting ransom using our telecom networks.
The lawmakers raised concerns ranging from flawed SIM registration processes to “number churning” – the practice of reactivating old lines that still have access to banking services.
They observed that despite Nigeria’s digital economy now accounting for nearly 20% of its GDP, the infrastructure protecting that ecosystem is dangerously underdeveloped.
In his remarks, the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Edoyemi Ogoh, acknowledged the system’s shortcomings, while announcing new safeguards, including a notification platform to combat recycled number fraud and improved caller ID authentication—alongside efforts to reduce disruptions caused by fiber cuts and unauthorized tower shutdowns.
On his part, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, highlighted the need to embed cybersecurity into the nation’s digital DNA.
The National Security Summit will focus on harnessing Nigeria’s communications infrastructure and digital systems to combat crime and enhance national security.
