NITDA on card reader

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami could not be reached yesterday but the agency in a recent statement had said it was not aware of any plan by hackers to disrupt the 2019 general election.

NITDA in the statement said it “is proactively working with INEC and other stakeholders to ensure the security of election and voting IT Infrastructure.’’

It also said: ‘’NITDA, as the IT Sector Regulator, has prioritized Cybersecurity as one of its seven strategic focus areas.

“In this regard, public awareness through capacity building workshops for relevant stakeholders in the states has so far been conducted in the North West, South South and North East zones while the train moves on to other zones shortly.

“As indicated earlier, the Agency has developed a strong partnership with relevant agencies including INEC, CBN, NIMC, NIS, FIRS, CAC, ONSA, etc. for the purpose of effectively securing Nigerian cyberspace.

“Through the efforts of the Agency, the country has formed profitable partnership with global technology giants to improve our cybersecurity readiness. Our Cybersecurity Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) has also been gathering necessary information and intelligence to counter the activities of devious cybercriminals. The efficient containment strategy of the Agency during the global incidents of WannaCry and Petya virus attacks shows the country’s growing readiness in cybersecurity.’’