Nigeria needs national grand SNOC – Ekuwem

Group Managing Director, Teledom Group, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem has called for the establishment of a national grand’s Security Network Operating Centres (SNOC) countrywide, beginning with emphasis on locating such at the local government headquarters.

The establishment of these SNOC with integrated downstream master, mini and micro versions, he said would ensure national security surveillance, monitoring, tracking, isolation and arrest of criminals.

Dr. Ekuwem who made this calls recently at the West Africa ICT Congress dwelt on the ‘Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for National Homeland Security Operations,’ noted that core things to realize when it comes to security is the people, the country in question, lives and property, peace and order.

The aforementioned, he said, would be incomplete without enabling law to prosecute crimes or criminals, therefore, a vibrate law enforcement agencies are needed which must consider privacy, fundamental human rights of the citizenry.

Security, he outlined could be subdivided into physical, economic, cyber, and spiritual to name a few, which has the potentials of encouraging investments both locally and from foreign counterparts, thereby raising the economic activities and productivity of a given nation.

With economic growth and development, he pointed out, jobs and wealth would be created for the population, which conversely increases the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and draws the dream of realizing the Vision 20-2020 nearer to the populace.

“In one word security underpins any development be it economic, political or social,” he declared.

Additionally, Ekuwem said that by establishing a comprehensive and integrated cargo, container, truck, tanker and vehicle scanning system with local and remote monitoring, data storage and date-and-time specific playback, will boost the economic development of the country.

“Addressing the root causes of insecurity; corruption, poverty, poor quality of education, joblessness and ostentatious lifestyles of public office holders and economic elite,” he said.

Ekuwem reiterated the calls for the establishment of a national Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) to manage and protect the country’s cyberspace.

He pointed out that by integration of the resultant cargo and vehicle scanning system, video-audio surveillance system, CERT and Global Positioning System (GPS)-based will aid the location and movements of law enforcement teams.

According to him, with adequate security infrastructure on ground like the establishment of SNOC, ‘who’s who is uniquely identified.’

Emphasising that its possible to track from cradle to grave the lawful or/and criminal routes of every Nigerian, just as any data on specific individual could still be assembled from scattered or distributed sources.

“Every human activity leaves a trace,” he asserted, adding that by assembling traces aids the establishment of integrity of citizens.

Identity authentication and verification, he said, must be made in a way that identity are non-repudiation, thus unique biometrics which involves finger print, Iris, facial recognition whereas the name may not be unique.

“Each human eye iris is unique,” he said, noting that state, local government area, ward, village of origin or of domicile could be used in the classification alongside the geopolitical zone, namely the south-south, south east, south west, north west, north central and north east as well as birth date, and age to name a few must be encompassed to ensure a complete verification of identities.

Remmy Nweke

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D Short URLs: goo.gl, mcaf.ee, cli.gs