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As the world marks Safer Internet Day 2017, Facebook has, on Tuesday, launched a sequence of initiatives to promote internet safety and best practices for children, young adults and people across the country. Facebook is working with partners such as the International Center for Leadership Development Nigeria (ICLDNG) and the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) to ensure the safety and education of communities and address the needs of vulnerable people.

The Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised each year by the joint Insafe-INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission. Insafe is a network of European Safer Internet Centres (SICs) promoting safe and responsible use of the internet. INHOPE is the global umbrella organization uniting national internet hotlines engaged in combating online child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse material.

The 2017 theme for the SID is: "Be the change: Unite for a better internet."

Facebook is providing financial and marketing support for its partners in Nigeria and across Africa to use to raise awareness about online safety. Facebook is also hosting an event in Johannesburg, South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya to promote the importance of online safety to students, teachers, parents and policymakers.

“Every day people come to Facebook to connect with people and issues they care about, and they should be able to do so in a safe, secure environment,” said Akua Gyekye, Public Policy Manager for Facebook Africa.

Facebook offers data and privacy protection that enable its users stay in control of information in their accounts, thereby promoting safer internet interactions, and ensuring lesser instances of identity theft. Extra security measures include the Facebook passive location tracker, which is utilised as an opt-in-feature. It identifies your location on a map so friends and family can see where you are. This is especially useful for travellers who want to make sure loved ones have a clue to their whereabouts.

The dangers of unsafe internet interactions and practises in Nigeria came to the fore in July 2012 when the gruesome murder of 24-year-old Cynthia Osokogu by six Facebook acquaintances was widely reported. Lured from Nasarawa State through Facebook chats discovered by police investigations, Cynthia, the only daughter of her parents, was found lifeless in a Lagos hotel room where she had been invited to attend a business meeting arranged by Facebook contacts she had previously never met.

“We are excited to partner with Facebook to host a day of workshops and fun activities for secondary students, where they will learn how to navigate the Internet confidently and safely,” Adeyemi Odutola, Communications Officer at W.TEC, said.