National security was on the front burner as the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) 11th International Conference got underway in Osun State on Wednesday with speakers urging the federal government not outsource the nation’s security related matters to foreigners.
Dr. Adedayo Adetoye, a specialist in Secure Information Flow at the University of Birmingham, UK, said that Nigeria as a nation has become notorious in awarding national projects to international companies insisting that issues relating to national security wasa no go area contract racketeering
He added that “only vetted indigenous companies should be allowed to operate the projects as is done everywhere in the world”.
Adetoye stated that the country should make hare while the sun shines by developing a national cyber security capacity, warning that the nation may be at a grave disadvantage against other nation states.
He said Nigeria needs to: “Develop a legal framework for checks and balances. Take advantage of local expertise and in dispora to formulate our strategy.
“Government needs to engage Academia and groups such as NCS to make this happen. Academics and professional bodies need to start training a crop of students to fill positions for this crucial national need”.
Adetoye urged government to embrace big data analytics detect previously unknown but valid patterns in large data sets such as money transfers, communications, travel, immigration and mobile communication records, social media, among others.
While depicting technology as cannot resolve conflicts, the secure information Flow specialist maintained that technology can be utilised to predict, exacerbate, enable or dampen conflicts.
Earlier, Sir Ademola Aladekomo, president of NCS highlighted that theme of the conference: “en Government & National Security” was germane and crucial now for discussion in the country considering the various security and governance challenges we have been facing as Nation.
“The best security is intellectual security that deters the crime and not rolling out the tanks.
Leveraging on Albert Einstein quote he added, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction”.
Thus, he added that the intent of the conference is to discuss rigorously, well researched subjects with the potentials of addressing the multifaceted developmental challenges, to enhance technological growth and sustainable development in a way to stimulate generation of policies for good governance.
Source: Nigeria Communications Week
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