Nigeria’s cyber security readiness has further come into scrutiny during a seminar organized by the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) recently.

President of CSEAN, Remi Afon, says the recent #EndSARS protests exposed the country’s cyber security vulnerabilities.

In his opening remark during a free cyber security seminar organised by the association Afon said a lot of ‘hacktivists’ and other Twitter users exploited the protest that lasted for about three weeks to steal sensitive information from the government and private citizens.

He cited Twitter users who changed their handles to Anonymous to increase their activities and ultimately got access to data that could be used to cause havoc.

As a result we saw financial institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) website being hacked. Analysts have over the years faulted the e-business culture in Nigeria especially government institutions for not paying adequate attention to cyber security.

Afon said two significant events happened this year that have actually impacted cyber security awareness. One is global, which is the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other is local, which is the #EndSARS protests.

With the Nigerian banking industry recording N15.15 billion loss to cyber-crime related activities and forgeries in 2018 only the need for government and other institutions to step up their cyber security resilience by collaborating with experts, cannot be over emphasized.

Cyber security experts were urged to adopt a more reliable online delivery method, stressing the need for them to think out of the box.

Meanwhile, Senior Programme Manager at Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), Adeboye Adegoke, Stressed that cyber security should be more of an approach and attitude than a technicality, Adegoke noted that the country’s health sector had yet to grasp what it means to conceal data of healthcare users.

He also challenged associations like CSEAN to engage the health sector in creating awareness on cyber security.

The Chairman, Mobile Software Solution, Chris Uwaje, indicated the need to focus energies on a National Software Ecosystem and Governance.

Sighting that the nation’s investment profile in software research and digital innovation capabilities were very low.

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), has estimated that Nigeria loses about N127 billion to cybercrimes yearly.

The seminar was organised to create awareness as part of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which is observed every October.

The Senate has said it was not carried along in the planned arrangement by the Federal Government, through its Bureau of Public Enterprises to either sell or concession some national assets in order to fund part of the 2021 budget.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Theodore Orji, gave the clarification in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said the position of the Senate Committee on Privatization is that we are not aware of the planned arrangement by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to either concession or put for outright sale, some national assets in the country in order to fund the 2021 federal budget.

The Federal Government had concluded plans to sell its Integrated power plants in Geregu, Omotosho, and Calabar at N434bn in 2021.

It had also concluded arrangements to concession the National Art Theatre, Tafawa Balewa Square, and all the River Basin Development Authorities at N836m.

Apart from that, necessary plans had been concluded to concession the National Stadium in Lagos, the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, and two others for N100m.

Information on the planned sales and concession of the national assets was contained in a document presented by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to the Senate last week in Abuja but obtained by our correspondent on Sunday.

The Director-General of BPE, Alex Okoh, presented the documents to the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation during the 2021 budget defence sessions.

But Orji denied knowledge of the entire transactions while speaking with journalists on Tuesday.

He said, “During the BPE budget defence before my committee,  I complained bitterly that the relationship between our committee and the BPE, has not been very cordial due to the behaviour of the DG, BPE.

“This is a man that if we call him on phone, he would not answer and if we send him a text message,  he would not reply. How then does he want us to communicate?

“There should be a synergy between the Senate or its committee on privatisation, and the BPE because that is the major parastatal that we oversight.

“I also believe that that the Senate Committee on Privatisation should be carried along when most of the arrangement to either sell or concession our national assets are being made so that we would be aware.

” Let me assure Nigerians that there is no member of the Senate Committee on privatisation that knows about all these things except they read it on the pages of newspapers.

“We were never briefed by the management of the BPE. We were not there when the necessary documents were signed. We were never invited at all.

“When the DG,  BPE came to defend his agency’s 2021 budget proposal before us, we asked him why he didn’t invite us at least as witnesses, he merely apologised.

“This is neither the first time nor the second time that such a thing would happen. When it happened the first time,

“I accosted him and asked him why he prevented us from carrying out our statutory job. However, we felt this is the best time to open up so that tomorrow, Nigerians would not blame the senators for being part of the sale of our national assets,  we know nothing about the entire transactions as a committee.

“We want to assure Nigerians that the committee will carry out its functions by summoning the DG, BPE. We would demand for all the documents relating to the entire transactions.

“We would ascertain whether due process was followed. We would also look at the amount that the BPE put up the assets for either outright sale or concession.

“We would scrutinise the papers to see whether they are fair or ridiculous amounts because what Nigeria as a nation needs now, is money.

“I am not against a situation whereby capable Nigerians buying the national assets so far they would show patriotism in handling it.

“However, what I am against is a situation whereby the assets would be sold to people who would not be capable of handling them.

The Lagos State Government has announced a six-week partial closure of the service lane inbound Maryland from the end of Gani Fawehinmi Park to the end of the second pedestrian bridge, Ojota, with effect from Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

This was contained in a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, on Monday.

Oladeinde stated that the partial closure is to allow the contractor handling the stretch of the project from Ojota to Maryland to continue with the next phase of the construction, which includes the reconstruction of the Ikorodu road.

“By the new arrangement, motorists coming from Ikeja axis are advised to use 7UP road through Billings way to link Oregun/Kudirat Abiola Way inbound Ikorodu road by Ojota bus stop.

LASG Closes Maryland-Ojota Service Lane For 6 Weeks

“Traffic inward Ojota Bus stop/Maryland from the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway could either proceed to Oworonshoki/Gbagada or descend the loop by Abiola Garden to connect Ikorodu road (inbound Ketu), and ascend the loop back to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway through the loop beside LAMATA Office to access Ikorodu road to Ojota.”

The commissioner assured that adequate road signs have been provided to guide motorists movement.

He added that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) would be fully on ground towards ensuring smooth and steady traffic flow.

“Motorists plying the corridor are advised to endure any likely inconvenience.”

Officials of the Lagos State Task Force and Okada riders on Tuesday clashed at Second Rainbow Bus Stop along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

It was gathered that officials of the task force had arrived at the bus stop to impound Okadas when the clash occurred.

Eyewitnesses narrated that the Okada riders resisted the officials of the task force from impounding their motorcycles.

The PUNCH gathered that the clash happened about 12:15 pm on Tuesday.

In a bid to express their displeasures, the Okada riders set bonfires on the expressway, leading to gridlock.

“We trekked long distances under the scorching sun,” a commuter, told our correspondent.

It was learnt that the Okada riders’ action paralysed activities in the area – Amuwo-Odofin Local Government.

A member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Yusuf, has called on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to tender a “national apology” for saying that hoodlums dressed in military attire were responsible for the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos State.

Yusuf, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Kogi State, made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Soldiers had shot at #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll plaza on October 20.

Malami had reportedly told journalists that hoodlums were possibly involved in the shootings.

“You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums that set in to create a scene…could equally partake in the process,” Malami was quoted as saying.

Yusuf stated that while there are lessons to learn by both the protesters and the government, Malami’s alleged statement that hoodlum in military apparel shot at protesters deserves to be followed with a national apology.

In the statement titled, ‘Lekki shooting: Apologise for Your Inappropriate Comment Rep. Tells Malami…asks FG to Reverse Misstep Against Protest Leaders,’ Yusuf described as condemnable, the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of two youth members of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and their subsequent resumption of sitting during the weekend.

Yusuf advised the Federal Government to reverse its “missteps” of freezing bank accounts and seizing passports of Nigerian youths considered to have actively taken part in the nationwide protest against policy brutality.

The statement partly read, “It is thoroughly confounding that in spite of the Federal Government’s promise to look into the demands of the protesters, government went to great lengths with actions and words that aroused real doubts over its sincerity. The Federal Government asked them to calm down and they did so, only for the Federal Government to embark upon series of arrests, passport seizure and freezing of bank accounts of the #EndSARS protesters.

 “While right-thinking citizens feel concerned about the real possibilities of driving the democratic expression of dissenting opinions into the threatening catacombs of underground activities, the Federal Government must advice itself against further deliberate missteps. It is absolutely pathetic that a government that promised progressive ideals has consistently shown a tendency to find comfort in dictatorial fiat and jackboot oppression of its people.”

While noting that the Federal Government’s Presidential Panel on Police Reforms acceded to the five demands made by the protesters, Yusuf stressed the need for the government to foster a sense of belonging and social justice rather than “decisions that further portray Nigeria in negative light internationally.”