The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed how over 114 million internet users in the country can be properly protected while online.

According to the commission, one of the key ways to achieve this is through enlightenment and awareness programmes where consumers are informed on the dangers of cybercrime as well as learn and observe skills gained through such awareness in order to be protected while on the internet.

NCC’s Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, stated this during the 47th edition of the NCC’s Consumer Town Hall Meeting (CTM), a monthly regulator, operators and consumer engagement forum for the grassroots, held in Uzuakoli, Abia State.

With theme ‘Mitigating Effects of Cyber Crimes: The Role of Telecom Consumers’, Onwuegbuchulam said the tripartite programme is one of the initiatives of the commission to bring together consumers, network operators and the regulator to identify and discuss salient issues bordering on the telecoms industry with a view to jointly providing solutions to identified challenges.

While stating that cyber space covers everything consumers do online or with computing devices, including mobile phones, tablets and personal computers, just as the internet touches almost all aspects of human lives, Onwuegbuchulam stressed the need for the consumers to show interest in getting constant enlightenment and be conscious of fraudulent tendencies by some internet users while online.

According to Onwuegbuchulam, who was represented at the forum by the Head, Information and Reference Unit at the Commission, Alh. Ismail Adedigba, the theme of the event had been carefully chosen for deliberations to effectively educate and inform the telecom consumers on the threats and modus operandi of cyber criminals in the industry and suggest ways by which the consumers can be protected.

She disclosed that as at February this year, there were over 114 million internet users in the country with over 63 million of them accessing broadband services on 3G and 4G networks