NCC’s Danbatta tells EFCC operatives to go for cyber security training to know genuine, fake cyber business

The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has advised operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to urgently go for digital training to distinguish cyber criminality and genuine cyber business platforms.

He advised the anti-graft operatives at the launch of digital training programmes for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) owners on Wednesday in Abuja, a training programme under the auspices of Digital Academy of The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, (SMEDAN) in collaboration with NCC and Sapphital Learning.

Danbata said, though there were cybercrimes, there are also genuine online businesses and it’s important the operatives have sufficient training to be able to distinguish between the two.

He noted that such training would help in order not to infringe into Nigeria’s digital economy.

Represented by the NCC Director of Digital Economy, Mr Austin Nwaulune, on the occasion, he expressed excitement that the training would impact on SMEs in Nigeria.

“The NCC will continue to support initiatives that will bring about diversification of the country’s economy.

“The NCC will make available digital infrastructures so that SMEs will flourish in all areas.

“Employment opportunities will be created, poverty and societal vices will reduce.

“I urge all the beneficiaries of this training platform to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

Earlier, the Director General of SMEDAN, Dr Dikko Rada, said there were over 41.1 million SMEs in the country contributing about 7.64 per cent to Nigeria exports every year.

He said besides contributing about 49.8 per cent to nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the SMEs employed 69 million people across the country.

Rada, who was represented by the Director of Enterprises Development and Promotion, Mr Monday Ewans, said SMEDAN operated on five different pillars to ensure the growth and development of SME in the country.

He said that the digital training programme was SMEDAN’s answer to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 Pandemic has helped us to discover that we can sit in the four corners of our comfort zones and operate our various businesses,” he said.

Ms. Sarah Onuoha, a trainee, expressed delight and described the gesture as a great privilege.

“I am looking forward to enlarging my business, marketing strategy and how to make more sales in my business,” she said.