Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu, has said the Senate is revising the National Cybercrime Law as part of efforts to combat growing insecurity and technology-driven offences in the nation.
Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while responding to questions from journalists shortly after the induction of new members, vice patrons, and the investiture of the new executive of the Abeokuta Sports Club 1904, led by its President, Alhaji Taoheed Awodele, Salisu reaffirmed the National Assembly’s readiness to work closely with the government and relevant agencies to address security challenges across the nation.
He said that the Senate not too long ago held an engagement session in the South West on tackling insecurity, adding that similar consultations would be extended to all geopolitical zones.
“As I speak with you, we are reworking a new National Cybersecurity Law. We are going to repeal the existing law and promulgate a new one,” he said.
“Since the last law was enacted, we have witnessed advancements in technology, the rise of Artificial Intelligence, and new forms of cybercrime. There is also a new UN Convention on Cyber Crimes. So, a new cybersecurity law is coming into play.
“There is hardly any crime today without a technological input — from making phone calls to committing fraud,” he noted.
He said that the government is intensifying efforts to ensure digital infrastructure reaches all parts of the country.
“It is only when every part of this country is covered, particularly with broadband technology, that we can fully deploy technology to govern the currently ungoverned spaces,” he said.
“Clubs like this should help provide clarity — to distinguish what is good in the long and short term and what is politically motivated. They are to serve as a repository of knowledge, helping policymakers shape and refine public policy,” he said.
