Days ahead of Nigeria’s general elections, Mr. Tim Akano, a computer expert has advised the Independent Electoral Commission, (INEC), the body supervising elections in Nigeria to be mindful of security threats to the results of the much anticipated elections, suggesting an upgrade of the systems adopted by INEC.
This was the view of Mr. Tim Akano, a computer guru at this year’s celebration of the 8th World Data Privacy day organised by Data and Knowledge Information Privacy Protection Initiative (DKPPI).
Speaking on the theme of the discussion, Understanding Privacy and Online Risk in Digital World Today, Akano commended the organisers for hosting the programme in a time when Nigeria was preparing for a general election.
He noted, “The 2023 Data Privacy Day celebration could not have come at a better time. This will be the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria that the country will rely on wholesale technology to choose the next President,” asking if BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) would “lead to a breakthrough or a breakdown of Nigeria?”
“It is in the best interest of INEC in particular, and Nigeria in general, to pay more than a casual attention to what we call Man -in-the -Middle attack or a REPLAY ATTACK which dark hackers can exploit to intercept, modify and retransmit the election Data while in motion or transit.
Akano who also noted that “transmitting sensitive data using the GSM technology which BEVAS depends on is not as water tight as using the Satellite technology,” advised that there was the need for an urgent upgrade against the background of the over voting incident in Osun State governorship election.
“A reconfigured BEVAS 2.0 will definitely be capable of identifying and automatically eliminating cases of over voting from the source (polling units) using certain Artificial Intelligence Technology, thereby saving INEC from avoidable embarrassment of having to harmonize their data, as it happened in Osun State with three results on one election.”
The computer expert who also stated that there was no sufficient time for the implementation of the needed reconfiguration before the February 25 election however explained “that the technology to arrest over voting by BVAS exists today, if INEC cares to step up!”
He explained further, “If the F-35 American fighter jet, the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world can be hacked, BVAS is not ABSOLUTE. With determination, patience, and doggedness, everything that is connected can be hacked. Security was not built into the internet foundation by its inventor in the beginning, it is an afterthought.”
He therefore called on the INEC Chairman Mallam Mahmood Yakubu for the need to “urgently talk to some Nigerian Cyber security practitioners and appoint some ‘devil’s advocates’ who will conduct a stress test on BVAS DIM (Data- in- Motion) before the wholesale adoption on February 25th.”
Tim Akano, Read also, https://ptlnewsonline.com/from-zero-to-billions-tim-akano-olu-akanmu-sam-onyishi-share-intimate-secrets-to-a-successful-business/ who is the managing director of New Horizon Solutions shared the dangers that conflicting election results could pose for a complex country like Nigeria noted, “Between 2007 and 2008, Kenya witnessed an untold bloodbath arising from conflicting election results. Between 2010 and 2011, Mr. Devil himself took over the affairs of Ivory Coast when conflicting election results were announced. In 2016, Russia was alleged to have influenced the American presidential elections through technology. In the recent Osun governorship Tribunal judgment, three types of BVAS results on the same election were alleged to have been tendered. This shouldn’t be.
“The report, insiders were involved in 57% of data breaches. But there are new technological solutions to this if INEC cares. A stitch in time saves nine: What Lord Lugard joined together in 1914, however imperfect and deformed, let no BVAS put asunder in 2023,” he warned.
At the conference which had participants from members and non members of the body also had in attendance Mr. Tokunbo Smith, the President of DKIPPI and the Convener, and representatives of Mrs. Yomi Edun, Managing Director FCMB, as the Chairperson, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Commissioner NDPB, and Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu, the Governor of Lagos State.
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