President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated a National Shared Service Centre to tackle emerging cyber threats to digital infrastructure and assets in the country.
Inaugurating the centre in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari said the centre would serve as a One Stop Shop for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to interface with citizens in the event of emergencies and other cyber based services.
President Muhammadu Buhari eulogized the rapid growth in the digital services sector which had contributed at least 18.4 percent growth to the nation’s GDP based on the last quarter report by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The President said the administration was sensitive to the burden of the masses as it recently suspended the proposed excise duty on telecom infrastructure, while certain policies and acts such as the start up act and the national policy on virtual engagements had been established and signed into law to boost the sector.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, said the sector was rapidly contributing to enhance the efficiency of other sectors such as education, security and healthcare.
According to him, the digital services sector was fast expediting the efforts of the administration in diversifying the nation’s economy.
The Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone; the Federal Government Data firm where the centre is embedded, Professor Muhammed Abubakar said at least 400 Ministries Departments and Agencies were already subscribed to the centre.
Professor Abubakar, added that the establishment of the centre would open a new vista for effective cyber security and operational services in government agencies which is a desire of every Nigerian.