Nigeria needs electronic combat-readiness to fight insecurity, says Danbatta

For Nigeria to win the fight against insecurity, external aggression and other threats to national peace, it must ensure a high level of electronic combat-readiness, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said.

Speaking when Officers Cadet of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) visited NCC headquarters in Abuja, as part of their industrial training, Danbatta noted that communications is strategic to electronic combat-readiness, adding: “Without communication, you cannot give orders to the men of the air force.”

According to him, modern warfare is not won by physical combat anymore, but in the command and control centres where electronic combat-readiness strategy is implemented by locating where the enemy is and giving instructions to the air force to contain the threat posed by the enemy.

He said: “NDA is one of the most prestigious institutions. We are talking about electronic combat-readiness, which entails destroying your enemies without necessarily engaging them physically. The military has the responsibility to give us territorial protection and protection from cyber attacks, ensure that our personal data are secured. Our state of electronic combat-readiness must be at the peak, if we want to win the fight against insecurity and external aggression.”

Danbatta observed cyber attacks as a trending threat, and appealed to the military to assist the country to contain the threats posed by cyber criminals.

Noting that the visit was in line with the NCC Strategic Vision Plan 2023 to 2025. He urged the cadet to do everything possible to justify the confidence reposed in them.

The EVC stressed the need for mobile applications that will change the ways citizens do things for better, adding that NCC gives interventions to institutions likes NDA to help them achieve their mandate.

He stated that NCC would continue to engage and collaborate with different institutions of government to improve the quality of services being provided by the mobile network operators, ensure optimal utilisation of resources and attract investments into the sector.

Earlier, the Head of Department (HOD), Computer Science of NDA, Dr. Abraham Evwiekperafe, said the cadet were in NCC to acquaint themselves with the operations of the commission, which is a basic requirement of their studies.