Rise in cyber terrorism, online fraud, hate speeches disturbing –Buhari

 THE President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday asked the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, to coordinate the efforts of all stakeholders to ensure that the nation’s Internet and cyberspace were used for the enhancement of national security and economic progression.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke at the inauguration of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021 in Abuja.The statement was titled, ‘Why we must curb criminalities, use Internet for national security and economic progress, by President Buhari’.Buhari was further quoted as saying, “It is almost impossible to overstate the challenges. Some global events such as the rapid emergence of new technologies, the outbreak of   the   COVID-19 pandemic and the advent of 5G technology, have further widened the scope and diversification of these cyber threats.”

“I urge the National Security Adviser to continue to coordinate the efforts of all stakeholders to ensure that our Internet and cyberspace are used for the enhancement of national security and economic progression,” Buhari said.

He added that the Internet and social media had witnessed a surge for propagation of hate speech, fake news, seditious and treasonable messages, as well as the risks of breaches to personal information and government sensitive data.