By 
By Oluwatobi Opusunju
First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has expressed worries that the growing index of cybercrime is capable of destroying Nigerian youths and the country’s national image. Buhari who spoke at the 13th Nigerian International Secondary Schools Model United Nations (NISSMUN) conference with the theme ‘Preventing young people from getting involved in cybercrime,’ said the internet opens a vista for good and evil and young Nigerians have a responsibility to leverage on the internet to do good.
“Today, many young people have taken advantage of this opportunity and establish very successful businesses and become charming example of enterprise. There are many others that have abuse this opportunity and turn them into cybercrime.”
“There is need for this conference to discuss this issue extensively and suggest solution that will result to the reversal of this trend as this impact goes beyond destruction of youths but also to our national image. I therefore call on parents and teachers to be watchful of the online activities of young people and behaviour as they seem detrimental to our social well-being,” said Buhari who was represented by Mrs. Pauline Tallen, former Deputy Governor of Plateau State. She called on parents and teachers to monitor online activities of the youths to bring about an end to the growing menace.
Ambassador of Switzerland, Mr. Eric Mayoraz noted that the cybercrime menace is an issue that affects every country with billions of dollars cost implications.
“We live in a world where the internet permeates every facet of our daily lives, particularly the tech-savvy younger generations, largely due to advances in science and digital technology as well as global telecommunication infrastructure.”
“The proliferation of cybercrime has naturally had a negative impact on Nigeria, and further addressing the menace will require both preventive measures to avoid youths’ involvement in cybercrime and to ensure protection from cyber attack,” said Ambassador Mayoraz.
A 2011 World Bank Survey revealed that Nigeria along with Cameroon, Ghana and South Africa were listed among top 10 countries in the world with a high level of cybercrime prevalence.
