The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that it has successfully foiled 66 attempts by hackers based in Europe to compromise virtual meetings of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The revelation was made by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, during the 19th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023) in Abuja.
The scorecard series, organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture, was designed to showcase the achievements of the Buhari administration.
During the event, Pantami presented the scorecards of his ministry and revealed that since the unveiling of the National Policy on Virtual Engagements for Federal Public Institutions in October 2020, 108 virtual FEC meetings have been held.
Pantami stated that 66 of these virtual meetings were targeted by hackers from Europe, but all attempts to compromise the meetings were unsuccessful.
He added that all the cases were reported to the appropriate authorities for the record and further action.
The National Policy on Virtual Engagements was launched to formalize government online meetings, such as FEC and Council of State meetings.
The policy, developed in collaboration with the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, aims to ensure that government virtual meetings can be held effectively and legally.
Pantami highlighted that the implementation of virtual meetings has saved the country over N47 billion (approximately $120 million), which would have been spent if the meetings were held physically.
He also revealed that in line with President Buhari’s vision to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, not less than 2.2 million jobs have been created in the digital sector in the past three years.
He attributed this success to the implementation of Executive Orders signed by President Buhari, which prioritize indigenous content and professionals in the execution of national projects.
Pantami emphasized that his ministry prioritizes the execution of programs and projects that can generate direct and indirect jobs, and gives priority to indigenous professionals in the planning, design, and appointment of key officials in the digital sector of the country.
