ALERT: NEITI Website Unsafe For Visitors As Govt-Owned Extractive Agency Fails To Renew Its Security Certificate

The Nigeria Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) official website is unsafe for visitors and vulnerable to attacks.

Following a visit to netit.gov.ng, West Africa Weekly found an error message that said, “Attackers might be trying to steal your information from neiti.gov.ng (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards),” with a bold warning showing “Your connection is not private.”

West Africa Weekly gathered that the error message resulted from a 40-day expired Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate that its administrators have yet to renew.

This expired SSL certificate compromises the security of any mainstream web page on the internet, favouring attackers. Also, it enables websites that use HTTPS, which is more secure than HTTP.

The NEITI’s official web page expired on July 20, 2024, and has transitioned into a confusing web page at https://www.v1.neiti.gov.ng/index.php.

Meanwhile, renewing an SSL certificate could be free or cost as little as $5 or $60, depending on the issuers’ fee.

NEITI not having this certificate for its website violates section 7.2 of the guidelines stipulated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for government websites.

READ ALSO: Open Treasury Portal Unsafe For Users As Finance Ministry Fails To Obtain A Secured SSL Certificate

West Africa Weekly contacted the technical administrator attached to the agency, but the number displayed was unreachable. As of press time, the mail sent to NEITI’s designated info-mail has yet to be responded to.

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About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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