Stakeholders to Hold National Security Emergency Summit

Technology Development Company Limited, an ICT-based security technology provider in strategic partnership with Gamnet Solutions Limited, an events management company is collaborating with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and all relevant ICT industry Associations in organizing a one-day stakeholders summit.
The summit is to consider appropriate ICT interventions to address the current national security emergency threatening the peace, economic development and stability of the country.
The summit has as its theme; “National Security Emergency: Information and Communications Technology to the Rescue” and is slated to hold  Tuesday, September 07, 2010 at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The collaborating industry Associations include Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telephone Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Nigerian Internet Group (NIG), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Internet Services Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), and Joint Action Committee on ICT Awareness & Development (JACITAD).
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in a swift demonstration of its deep sense of patriotism and nationalistic zeal, has expressed concern over the spate of kidnappings and related heinous crimes perpetrated by unscrupulous and undesirable elements in our society. The Commission has announced its determination to mobilize the support of telecommunications operators in Nigeria in efforts at devising and deploying appropriate ICT systems and solutions to help security forces track down kidnappers and other criminals in the society. The Commission believes that the ICT sector has what it takes to enhance the efforts of our security forces in bringing the current embarrassing security situation under control and thereby rescue our nation from the scary siege.
It is in support of NCC’s patriotic stance on this critical national issue, and of course the public interest, that the organizers conceived the initiative of a stakeholders’ summit that would certainly set the pace for a national framework for sustainable ICT-enabled security networking capable of enhancing efforts of the security agencies in drastically combating insecurity across the nation.
The summit is designed to mobilize players in the ICT sector in Nigeria to plan and devise effective technology and systems that would enhance the efforts of security forces in combating the increasing wave of criminal activities in all parts of the country especially as the 2011 general elections are fast approaching. It is an opportunity for ICT industry operators to formulate an enabling framework for putting in place a communications system that would facilitate our internal security networking.
The summit will serve as a business networking roundtable between ICT services providers, public security agencies and their private sector security practitioners. It will provide ample opportunity for the security professionals to discuss their work challenges with security-based technology providers, leading to the recommendation of ICT solutions that could meet internal security requirements.
Participants will focus attention on security-based ICT interventions for effective national security surveillance and monitoring including scanning systems in the sea ports, airports, border posts and inland waterways to detect movement of arms, ammunitions and light weapons across the country.
Other aspect will be the navigational systems for tracking and locating criminal automobiles, to ease their interception and arrest; integrated systems for detecting and monitoring footprints of criminals and their activities even after they have left the scenes; ICT-based coordination of surveillance and monitoring activities across the nation; distributed and central data storage and archiving systems with date and time-specific playback capabilities; as well as establishment of personal identity management systems  and criminals’ database for online access at every point of transactions.
Also to be considered will be the issue of legislation on lawful interception, data retention on the networks and cyber security.