HEADLINENEWS.NEWS correspondent gathered that in a bid to mitigate risks to its systems, assets and data, the Lagos State government has set up a cyber-security advisory board to tackle the menace.
This has made Lagos the first state in the country to set up such board to tackle cyber threat.
A statement by Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner, Information and Strategy, Lagos State, said that the advisory board would facilitate the design, implementation and management of an effective cyber-security programme in the state.
The statement gave some of the members of the board as: Dr. Osakwe Fene, Amazon bestselling author, Forbes Technology Council member and winner of the 2023 Global Cyber Educator of the Year Award in the United Kingdom; Mr. Taiye Lambo, first Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Atlanta and Dr. Bharat Soni, Chief Information Security Officer, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.
Others are Chineye Chizea, security architect, World Bank/ Federal Government of Nigeria Digital Identification for Development (ID4D) project; Ben Oguntala, former Cyber Security Project Manager, NFU Mutual Insurance UK; Dr. Obadare Adewale, Co-Founder, Digital Encode, and Mr. Tunbosun Alake, Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology.
Omotoso further mentioned representatives from the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Ministry of Justice, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) and the police as parts of the committee.
The statement emphasised that cyber-security Advisory Board would make recommendations to the government on the development, planning, refinement and implementation of policies, programmes and training initiatives regarding its cyber-security endeavours.
The board is a multi-disciplinary and cross-functional group comprising professional cyber-security industry leaders, public sector experts, members of ICT, law enforcement, education and media, among others.
The statement added: “As Lagos State transits to a global digital future, the need for a cyber-security framework and plan is necessary as both inherent and residual risks are increasingly driven by global connectivity and the usage of cloud services to store sensitive data and personal information.
“The state is implementing a Smart City programme in line with its THEMES Plus Agenda and projects that will result in a more connected future. The data from these initiatives are invaluable assets that require digital protection.”
Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governor, congratulated members of the board, saying its constitution would reassure to investors that the state was not just the technology hub in Africa, but a cyber-secure tech hub.
