66 Attempts To Hack Our Cabinet Meetings Were Foiled - Nigerian Govt Reveals

The Nigerian government has revealed that there actual attempts to hack into the weekly cabinet meetings. 

 The FG on Thursday said that there have been 66 attempts by hackers from Europe to compromise its weekly cabinet meeting. 

 The weekly cabinet holds on Wednesday with some of the ministers attending virtually, an innovation introduced as part of the protocol to prevent spread of covid-19 and later backed with the introduction of the National Policy on Virtual Engagements for Federal Public Institutions in October 2020. At least 108 cabinet meetings, popularly called the Federal Executive Council meeting have been held till date.

 Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, however told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that there have been 66 attacks compromise the virtual meetings, all from from Europe. 

 Pantami who spoke at a forum organized to list the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari, however, said though all the attempts failed, they were reported to the appropriate authorities for the record and actions. 

 He recalled that the National Policy on Virtual Engagements was launched to formalise government online meetings such as FEC and Council of State meetings. 

 The minister said that with the policy which was developed in conjunction with the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, government’s virtual meetings could be held effectively and legally. 

 He said the implementation of the virtual meetings had saved the country over N47 billion which could have been used if they were held physically.

 The minister also disclosed that in line with Buhari’s vision to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, not less than 2.2 million jobs had been created in the digital sector in the past three years. 

 He said the feat was achieved in the sector by the implementation of the Executive Orders signed by the President to priotise indigenous content as well as indigenous professional in the execution of national projects.

 Pantami said in the execution of jobs, planning and design of projects as well as appointments of key officials in the digital sector of the country priorities were given to indigenous professionals. 

 He said his ministry also prioritized the execution of programmes and projects that could generate direct and indirect jobs.