The National Institute of Security Studies (NISS) has engaged with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to advance strategic collaboration that would enhance the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in improving national security.
Speaking during a visit to the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta at the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja, the Institute’s Director, Research Estimates and Library Services, Dr Adegboyega Karim, said the visit was on a fact-finding mission to enrich ongoing research that focuses on globalization and regional integration for sustainable development in Africa.
Karim led to the Commission a delegation of Executive Intelligence Management Course Sixteen Participants (EIM16), a study group with representations from various security agencies under the auspices of NISS, typically senior officers in security agencies, including the military, police, intelligence services and other relevant agencies.
He noted that the Commission has made giant strides in advancing the course of digital economy development in Nigeria and that its regulatory processes provide a good opportunity for collaboration to enable the group to research further into matters regarding telecommunications and national security.
Director of Special Duties of the Commission, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, who received the team on behalf of Danbatta, affirmed the readiness of the Commission to collaborate with the Institute and indeed, any private and public institution that is focused on national development.
Reiterating the advancements made in ICTs, Adinde said it is within this context that the Commission continued to promote the deployment of robust digital infrastructure capable of supporting and improving the security of lives and property.
“As a way of consolidating on the tremendous successes that had been recorded in the telecoms industry through effective regulatory regime emplaced by the Commission, the Federal Government has formulated a number of policies such as the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), among others, which serve as a compass for our efforts at building a resilient digital economy that supports security,” he said.
Adinde enlightened the visiting delegation on the Commission’s efforts towards ensuring adequate protection for telecoms facilities across the nooks and crannies of the country where it is treated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), the building of Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as series of collaborations with relevant agencies to ensure effective connectivity to individuals and institutions.
