NCC, Civil Defence Hold Talks on Critical Infrastructure Protection

Emma Okonji

Operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have said that they will replicate what they have been doing to protect oil and gas pipelines nationwide for the telecommunications sector if the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) provides the opportunity for them to do so.

The acting Deputy Commandant General in charge of Critical Infrastructure at NSCDC, Mr. Amos Andekein made the pledge when he led a delegation of NSCDC to the NCC recently.

Hosted by NCC Executive Commissioner in charge of Stakeholders Management, Mr. Sunday Dare, at the NCC Headquarters in Abuja, on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, the meeting was a follow up to the one hosted by the National Security Adviser (NSA) Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) in December, 2016.
The meeting was specifically called by the NSA for both agencies to deliberate on workable ways to protect critical national infrastructure.

“This is a follow up to that meeting” Dare told the visiting NSCDC team.
He said it is in line with that meeting that NCC wants to work with the NSCDC on ways to protect critical national infrastructure, like Base Stations, Optic Fibre, Masts and nip in the bud activities of those trading on pre-registered Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards security implications, vandalisation of telecom equipment among others.

The Executive Commissioner said although the NSCDC men have been manning NCC Emergency Communications Centres (ECC), before now, “we are sure that you will support in the protection of the critical infrastructure on the directive of the NSA”, Dare who led the NCC team including Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo observed.
Andekein explained that protection of critical national infrastructure was part of the NSCDC core mandate as enshrined in its Act and “we are willing to do just that for the telecommunications sector like we have been doing for the oil and gas sector.

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