Velma-ARC
The plight of a society rests on the shoulders of the few who, with courage and determination, can carry the weight, and direct its course...David 'Diya Ashaolu is one of them.
In his pursuit of championing the plight of youth, of securing society in self-reliance for a great future, the community believes we have a chance with David 'Diya Ashaolu.
Allow me to put this in context. Nearly three years ago in Tokyo Japan, I was confounded by the fact that I was made a victim of a cybercrime. To fathom my dilemma, I resorted to contacting not only the authorities but anyone writing on cybercrimes; not one responded except for David. This is how our journey started.
A reputed author of distinction in Nigeria, I learnt David Ashaolu was well-versed in the field of cybercrime activity. As my legal representation, he has upheld his role with unfailing commitment.
Velma-ARC is a restorative justice initiative, enabling positive reintegration into society and enlisting expertise to fight cybercrimes.
Firstly, it is a cost-effective way of dealing with cybercrime offenders;
Secondly, it reduces the possibility that offenders repeat their criminal behavior, out of despair from being nailed down with criminal records;
Thirdly, it lessens the workload of police and the justice system;
Fourthly, it is more humane, as it provides the offenders with necessary and adequate treatment;
Fifthly, it differentiates between less serious offenders and repeat offenders or felons who need to be incarcerated.
Community service is required; this measure endorses non-custodial sentences, allowing offenders to exercise social functions, and bringing managerial efficiency into the operation of the criminal justice system.
Trained and certified participants will provide recent information to law enforcement agencies in order to aid in the detection, investigation, arrest, prosecution of cybercrimes in Nigeria.
The Time Magazine listed Nigeria as the 4th Top Cybercrime Hotspot in the world in 2014, only behind Russia, China and Brazil. “The original home of low-tech scam emails,” Nigeria is the headquarters of cybercrimes in Africa.
With the growing sophistication of the Nigerian youth in cyber competencies, they have the capability with global damaging capacity.1
Evidence shows the manipulative drive of the terrorist group Boko Haram, which has leveraged on the vulnerability of the Nigerian youths to deepen their process and drive for recruitment and radicalization, targeting mostly disaffected and unemployed youths who live in hostile environments; the UNDP quotes in 2019 Nigeria has over 98 m poor, highest in the world, youth underemployed or unemployed, rate being 55.4%.These factors put together makes Nigeria a rich ground for cyberterrorism.
Velma-ARC serves to enhance the institutional capacity of local and national-level institutions to provide efficient youth-centered support services. Our endeavors are to curb and address the root causes of cybercrime, strengthen prevention of recidivism processes, reintegrate disengaged youths, strengthen prevention of forced recruitment and utilization initiatives all pervasive in the current climate.
1 The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Marks Its 20th Year — FBI
1: Recruitment
We operate a website to register voluntarily.
Law enforcement agencies and other ICT intervention organizations across the country send candidates for rehabilitation.
As of 8 May 2020 Interpol National Central Bureau Abuja Nigeria has agreed to forward their cybercriminals to our service.
2: Screening
Intrinsic is psychological intervention by the Psychology Team from Day 1.
The candidates are camped for 2-4 weeks, screened to identify their preparedness to rehabilitate at 3rd Stage.
3: Induction into Boot camp 1-2 months
Lectures/training on the legal implications of cybercrimes from criminal justice stakeholders including Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.
Training in various ICT fields.
Community services on deterrence and prevention.
On graduation, a personal project must be presented on how to curb cybercrimes.
4: Further ICT Training Empowerment
Graduates are sponsored to ICT institutions to perfect IT skills to the level of certification.
5: Cyber crime Intervention Hub Induction
Support law enforcement agencies; providing up-to-date information for the detection, investigation, arrest, prosecution.
Victims – local and foreign – seeking justice to find their fraudsters, locate stealth activities and report findings to law enforcement agencies.
Provide cyber security information to private/public sectors who wish to detect and prevent cyber-attacks.
https://youtu.be/7hWakXeAiO0 Interpol
Velma-ARC has structured a reintegration program for previously convicted adults, first-time offenders and juvenile offenders to assist them to change their criminal behavior.
The fundamentals of our program rely on professional psychological intervention to provide cognitive behavioral treatments to cyber criminals.
Serving the purpose of youth empowerment and entrepreneurship incentives to hitherto unemployed youths, we harness their ICT skills to be efficient stakeholders in fighting cybercrimes, and also make them employable in the international ICT market.
The rehabilitated unethical cyberspace actors use their knowledge and experience to assist law enforcement agents in fighting cybercrimes. They will work together with criminal justice stakeholders to expose new trends in cyber threats and plug loopholes constantly exploited by cybercriminals.
The initiative encourages community service without monetary reward, as means of rehabilitation. This measure endorses non-custodial sentences, allowing offenders to exercise social functions, and bringing managerial efficiency into the operation of the criminal justice system.
Finally, we provide support to victims of cybercrimes by using the wherewithal of our participants to help victims get justice. Our participants use their knowledge and experience to help investigate cases of cyber fraud and identify the perpetrators.
- Elevating issues and their projects by building awareness and driving action to solve the most difficult problems of our world
Responding to the unique conditions of youth and focusing on their psycho-social needs, Velma-ARC has created a program to engage former cybercrime youth offenders.
Velma-ARC serves to foster in the repentant cross-cutting capabilities to establish market-driven workforce development strategies; the acquisition of the foundational, technical, financial, entrepreneurial, and other critical skills in order to create livelihoods to support.
Velma-ARC offers alternative sources of income and employ-ability, reducing unemployment, curbing cybercrimes and stimulating economic empowerment.
Spurring the repentant youth to cultivate practical tools and providing opportunities to learn prosocial strategies, Velma-ARC furnishes coping techniques for addressing their inherent problems.
Nearly three years ago in Tokyo Japan, I was made a victim of a cybercrime. To fathom my dilemma, I resorted to contacting not only the authorities but anyone writing on cybercrimes; not one responded except for David Ashaolu. This is how our journey started.
A reputed author of distinction in Nigeria, I learnt he was well-versed in the field of cybercrime activity. As legal representation, David has upheld his role with unfailing commitment.1
Preparing for a trial to be heard in Abuja Nigeria, the Velma Solicitors based there and I have worked on this case with the support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC; we are ready for justice to be served.
Through their affiliated charitable operations of the Velma Foundation, I plan to give back to the community by introducing a rehabilitation program, in the form of an Information and Communication Technology ICT hub.
A first of its kind in Nigeria, it is to function as a correctional service to harness the tech-savvy skills many of these offenders possess, and enable positive reintegration back into their community.
With such resolution, this mission to eradicate cybercrimes has given flight.
2. Proposal.pdf
3. https://youtu.be/NvNcR97cuak Public parade
Lotus-eating Japan; Who is this man I hardly know?
Paperback – December 31, 2016
by Lotte Roy (Author and Pen name)
This non-fiction covers a low point in my life when I was caught in a romance scam. Writing it was a cathartic exercise in coming to terms with being a victim of the vicious cycle wreaking havoc within the Internet network.
Who is this man I hardly know!
My experience is not any more unique. It is a story to be told, a warning to others, a chapter of reality rarely uncovered.
How did I end up here I find it difficult to fathom...perhaps in working back through the recent course of events may clarify the bewilderment remaining…
What sucked me in?
What pulled me tight?
What trapped my mind, believing that this was right?
An escape, my way out…how delicious it tasted,
How susceptible was my spirit to the conundrum awaiting…
When at the tipping point our reactions become irrational, our perspective warped and twisted, the filter be coated with rose-colored tint.
A sincere commitment on behalf of Velma-ARC in establishing effective institutional mechanisms for managing cyber security drives this force of change.
Velma Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Velma Solicitors.1.
David ‘Diya Ashaolu LL.B, B.L, LL.M (Harvard), CC.E (USA), FNSIS, is the A), FNSIS, Executive Director. Master of Laws (LL.M) from Harvard Law School. Winner of Future Leaders Connect of the British Council in 2018, convener of the Policy Club. Director, Co-Founder at Velma Foundation Member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, USA Member of Nigerian Bar Association Executive at Institute of Data Processing Management, Nigeria
He is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, USA, the Internet Society, the International Telecommunications Union and the Global Climate Change Coalition. Locally, a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and Executive at the Institute of Data Processing Management, Nigeria. The Deputy-Commandant general of the Atmosphere of Love Chaplaincy, a peace advocacy outfit with headquarters in Abuja.
A widely read author and social interest advocate:
Ashaolu, David. (2012).Solving Security Challenges in Nigeria Through Intelligence Gathering and Surveillance. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.2275986
Ashaolu, David. (2011). Combating Cybercrimes in Nigeria. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.2028154.
Dr. Abiodun Oduwole LL.B, B.L, LL.M (Kingston), MCIArb (UK), Director and Co-Founder at Velma Foundation. LL.M in Dispute Resolution from Kingston University, UK Doctor of Philosophy in Arbitration and Dispute Resolutions
Ms Carla Therese Ceravolo Director and Executive Partner at Velma Foundation. International Liaison Officer, co-convener of Velma-ARC Victim of cybercrimes
Omonigho Simon Umukoro
Consultant Psychologist Dip., B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (IBADAN)
Velma-ARC Bootcamp 20th January 2020, headed psychology team 2
Pursuant to our Press Conference on December 20, 2020, Velma-ARC threw open our website registration link www.velma-arc.org/register for repentant and voluntary unethical Internet users to signify an intention to be rehabilitated.
Participants at our Rehabilitation Boot Camp, held January-February, 2020, offered solutions to cybercrimes and were primed to apply themselves in curbing further perpetration. 1
Currently the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on but not averted the progress of our mission Velma-ARC.
With the lull of activity, exacerbated by the limitation of monitoring and financial support, these factors have only fed into their despondency, luring our participants into negative behaviors. This was most disconcerting.
The efforts of Velma-ARC to redirect such habits, and harness their skills have been tested. Yet Velma-ARC has not lost sight of the bigger picture.
Strained as we are, our graduates have worked on a sensitization webinar per COVID-19, in an effort to bring awareness in the community. 2
As of 8 May 2020, Interpol National Central Bureau in Abuja Nigeria has agreed to forward their cybercriminals to our Velma-ARC service. This has reignited the participants` ambitions in the pursuit of fighting cybercrime.
1. BOOT CAMP ILESA NIGERIA, FROM JAN 20 – FEB 16, 2020
2. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LMskKMCkovj0vR_mAhhXdVKJKOww04iv/view?usp=sharing
Welcomed by the Project Director Barr David Ashaolu, the Bootcamp commenced on 21st January 2020.
We arranged to visit the market-place for our outreach campaign against cybercrime. While going from stall to stall teaching about what precautions to take to prevent falling victim to scams, the participants encountered real people who shared their various experiences.
One such victim was a fish-seller who evoked great emotion in the participants so much so that they themselves demanded the outreach should be on a larger scale. The participants requested to meet with the head of the market: Iya Loja. They returned the following week to address all the market men and women, and teach them on salient points to avoid scam and fraud.
Participants were very excited about this meeting and described it as the best part of their experience at the Bootcamp.
Meeting real victims who were obviously working very hard for their money put a huge dent on their conscience and sent them on a mission of rescuing potential victims. Seeing as the emotions were genuine, the initiative to get the Iya Loja involved served to convince the importance of this awareness campaign.
1. IMG-20200203-WA0001.jpg Market
- Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
n/a
Velma-ARC provides the solution to cyber security risks across all spectrum:
To the government, rehabilitated participants provide information and assistance to government agencies that would aid in investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes.
To the IT companies, we help convert a malicious cybercriminal who hitherto exploited vulnerabilities to a cyber security expert, who would help test and identify loopholes in cyber security infrastructure.
To the society, participants undertake community services and engage in a wide range of outreach activities; teaching citizens about deterrence and prevention.
To the victims of cybercrime who seek justice, the Hub helps to investigate trends, identify and locate the crimes, provides investigation results to law enforcement agencies and offers relevant information that aids the prosecution of the cybercriminal.
To the administration of the justice sector, ensuring reduction in re-offending through rehabilitation.
To the repentant cybercriminals, we provide alternative sources of income and employability, reducing the number of unemployment in Nigeria and providing economic empowerment.
Velma-ARC serves to foster cross-cutting capabilities to establish market-driven workforce development strategies; the acquisition of the foundational, technical, financial, entrepreneurial, and other critical skills in order to obtain or create livelihoods to support themselves.
Our intervention is a complementary intervention to aid the activities of law enforcement agencies in curbing cybercrimes.
It is a novel idea, which has only been mooted by various stakeholders in concept but never been executed until now. We believe that this intervention is required for a holistic fight against cybercrimes in Nigeria.
The scourge of cybercrimes in Nigeria has diminished our moral values and the reputation of our country in the international community. Prior to the enactment of the Cybercrime Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2015, very few incidences of cybercrimes were reported in Nigeria, partly because the acts were not criminal at the time.
However, the enactment of the law did not deter or reduce the incidences. In fact, more cybercriminal activities have been committed since the enactment of the law. Law enforcement agencies are now overstretched and cannot rein in the incidences.
To out-smart the cybercrime-curbing institutions, Velma-ARC recognizes the fact that cybercriminals, in their association with hacking, possess specialized skills which are required by the combating institutions for cybercrime to be controlled. As such, exposure to the techniques of cybercriminals would contribute positively to the efforts of these institutions.
The cybercrime industry is an enormous one. The gains to cybercriminals and loss to businesses are huge. There is a need to do everything to stop cybercrimes before cyberspace becomes unsafe for all of us and our coming generation.
IT companies invest a lot of money on IT infrastructure, national governments identify communications infrastructure as critical infrastructures. This class of infrastructure must be protected against cybercriminals who target information integrity and availability.
US President Obama declared that the “cyberthreat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation” and that “America's economic prosperity in the twenty-first century will depend on cyber security.”1
Cybercrimes produce a dangerous generation of corrupt people who would continue to abuse due process and rule of law. It increases criminal cartels, cultism and secret societies that would eventually lead a violent economy in the near future, especially when they control the polity and policy making process.
In effect, the threat of cyber-terrorism cannot but increase in intensity as long as there are educated and knowledgeable youth occupying positions of authority in terrorist organizations.
A sincere commitment in establishing effective institutional mechanisms for managing cyber security drives this force of change. 2
- Children & Adolescents
- Rural
- Peri-Urban
- Urban
- Poor
- Low-Income
- 3. Good Health and Well-Being
- 4. Quality Education
- 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
- 9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- 16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- 17. Partnerships for the Goals
- Nigeria
- Nigeria
The targeted beneficiaries in Nigeria are the Youths - children and young adults – from all parts of the country.
Year 2020
Population (No.) 43,381,413
Note: Annual Growth Rate of the country is 2.53%, as the Youth Dependency Ratio is 80.9 and Median Age for the country is 18 years old (Recent Demographic change/reason) Info. Source CIA World Factbook
Already, 8 people have benefited from the first batch out of the about 50 persons who registered because we could not afford to accommodate everyone who showed interest.
For the second stage not even advertised yet, we already have over 100 persons showing interest, having seen that the scheme is real.
We project that our Centre would rehabilitate 100 cyber criminals per year, in 2 batches of 50 each.
Our Boot camp opens twice a year: January and June.
In 10 years, we are confident that we would have rehabilitated more than 1000 cyber criminals.
Expected effects/changes:
We believe that by this project, we will reduce cybercrimes in Nigeria to a bare minimum.
By the end of 10 years, the Centre would have generated sufficient income to be self-sufficient and build its own facilities because its upward income would be inversely proportional to its expenditure.
In addition, participants will graduate to become facilitators and share ownership of the community based Centre, open to all Youths interested in fighting cyber crimes.
Currently in the COVID-19 pandemic our graduates are working on a sensitization webinar to bring awareness in the community.1
Establishing the Cybercrime Intervention Centre in Abuja, wherein the Rehabilitation Bootcamp and Hub activities will take place, we propose to secure a long lease of 10 years for this project.
Running for a year in 2 batches; 100 participants of 6 month intervals.
Graduates from the 1st batch of 50 will work with the original graduates of 8 to provide income generating services at the Hub, this yielding financial income by the time 2nd batch of 50 would have graduated from camp.
By 3rd batch, we would save costs on IT training and facilitators, leveraging our experience to sustain operations. Our recurrent expenditure, reduced significantly by this time, while our income would be on the increase.
By the end of 10 years, the Centre will generate sufficient income to be self-sufficient because its upward income would be inversely proportional to its expenditure.
As facilitators, they share ownership of the Centre; it will be open to all Youths interested in fighting cybercrimes.
Trained and certified participants will provide recent information to law enforcement agencies in order to aid in the detection, investigation, arrest, prosecution of cybercrimes in Nigeria.
We intend to issue a subscription based cyber security publication. Dissemination of cyber-related information is essential to our overall function.
For victims of cybercrime, the Hub provides support to investigate and aid the prosecution. Such support services will be billed by the Hub which we intend to run as a business entity independent of the Foundation.
Establishing the Cyber crime Intervention Centre in Abuja, wherein the Rehabilitation Bootcamp and Hub activities will take place, we have chosen Abuja because it is central and safe. In considering costs, we had thought of locating at a distance from the capital but we could not get some foreign partners to our last camp at Ilesa for fear of kidnapping in the South West.
For such an initial outlay, funds in pursuant of our Centre are limited hence the need to seek support of an estimated 20 million Naira or equivalent to roughly 50 thousand US dollars.
Our budget is designed with sustainability in mind. Failing to generate such financials would impede the stability of the immediate projection.
Inviting buy-ins to enhance the success of our mission, Velma -ARC weighs heavily on the value system integration of cross-sectoral partnerships, namely of IT industry and criminology. Such collaboration increases the value of contribution of our candidates and in turn, optimizes the efficiency to effectively curb the perpetration of cybercrime. This very lack of support would hinder the chain of sustainability of our initiative.
The network of corroboration including; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency, Ministry of Communications Technology, Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Correction Services (Prisons), Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Police, Nigerian Bar Association and the Judiciary stands committed to support the pioneering endeavors of Velma-ARC.
It is of their own volition, that the roots of our program have given life, without which Velma-ARC would not survive.
Below is the budget to secure, eliminating the need to pay rent or incur accommodation costs for the participants for 1 year.
Velma ARC 2020
Bootcamp / Hub 1 year:
5,000,000 N
Generator:
4,131,500 N
ICT Training / IT Skills Acquisition: Remuneration for IT Trainers / Facilitators:
30,000,000 N
Psychological Intervention Assessment:
7,500,000 N
Publicity & Media Press Conference:
3,500,000 N
Transportation:
14,000,000 N
Accommodation for Facilitators:
6,000,000 N
Print Materials:
6,000,000 N
Annual Salaries:
117,000,000 N
Stipends to Volunteers:
50,400,000 N
Total: 243,531,500 N*
*Naira Nigerian local currency (100 N @ US$0.26)
** 632 Thousand US Dollars
Saving costs on IT training and facilitators leveraging our experience to sustain operations.
Assisting law enforcement agents in fighting cybercrimes, to expose new trends in cyber threats and plug loopholes constantly exploited by cybercriminals.
Producing a subscription based cyber security publication that we will share with FINTech companies and other interested individuals.
Also, some victim support services will be billed by the Hub which we intend to run as a business entity independent of the Foundation.
The ICT Hub/ Centre will start generating to be self-sufficient because its upward income would be inversely proportional to its expenditure.
Velma-ARC is registered in the US System for Award Management SAM for eligibility for Government Grants.
NCAGE data SHSZ7 (NATO Support and Procurement Agency)
DUNS Number: 561386901
D&B Legal Business Name: VELMA FOUNDATION
Velma-ARC actively responds to any grant offerings both from the private and public sectors.
Inviting buy-ins to enhance the success of our mission, Velma -ARC weighs heavily on the value system integration of cross-sectoral partnerships. In doing so, such collaboration increases the value of contribution of our candidates and in turn, optimizes the efficiency to effectively curb the perpetration of cybercrime.
Integral to our rehabilitation of repentant cybercriminals, a reliance on the external partnership of psychologists specializing in criminology serves to lay the foundations of our mission.
At the Velma-ARC Boot camp on 20th January 2020, participants were briefed on the rehabilitation process with a personality assessment test administered by the psychology team headed by Dr. Simon Umokoro of Maju Foundation and Dr. Temitope Arowoyan of Succor Health, both from the University of Ibadan.
Critical to turning around such candidates, a reliance on external IT partnerships assisting in harnessing their homegrown skills significantly weighs on how effectively we manage this program.
At boot camp, participants received the first of many IT skills acquisition components of the program from Mr. Sulaiman of Cybertalk Naija, who educated participants on the various IT skills and requirements to learn.
The network of corroboration including Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency, Ministry of Communications Technology, Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Correction Services (Prisons), Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Police, Nigerian Bar Association and the Judiciary stand committed to support the pioneering endeavors of Velma-ARC.
As of 8 May 2020 Interpol National Central Bureau in Abuja Nigeria has agreed to forward their cybercriminals to our service.
A restorative justice program; firstly, it is a cost-effective way of dealing with cybercrime offenders; secondly, it reduces recidivism; thirdly, it lessens the workload of police and the justice system; fourthly, it is more humane with necessary and adequate treatment; fifthly, it differentiates between less serious offenders and repeat felons who need to be incarcerated.
Our program provides the solution to cybersecurity risks across all spectrum:
To the government, rehabilitated participants provide information and assistance to government agencies that would aid in investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes.
To the IT companies, converting malicious cybercriminals who hitherto exploited vulnerabilities to a cybersecurity expert, helping test and identify loopholes in cybersecurity infrastructure.
To the society, undertaking community services and engaging in a wide range of outreach activities, to protect against and discourage cybercrimes.
To the justice-seeking victims of cybercrime, to investigate trends, identify and locate the crimes, hand over results to law enforcement agencies and aid the prosecution of the cybercriminal in question.
To the administration of the justice sector, we ensure that convicted cybercriminals do not go back to the crime after serving their punishments because they would have been reformed and rehabilitated.
To the repentant cybercriminals, we provide alternative sources of income and employability, reducing the number of unemployment in Nigeria and providing economic empowerment. We also give them an easy path back into society.
Our intervention is a complementary intervention to aid the activities of law enforcement agencies in curbing cybercrimes.
Designed with sustainability in mind, we would secure a venue for the program for 10 years, thus reducing overheads.
Inducted into our Cyber crime Intervention Hub, the participants will provide recent information to law enforcement agencies in order to aid in the detection, investigation, arrest, prosecution of cyber crimes in Nigeria.
Budgeted for 100 participants for a year in 2 batches; the graduates from the 1st batch of 50 will work with the original graduates of 8 to provide income generating services at the Hub, which would yield financial income by the time the 2nd batch of 50 would graduate from camp.
By the 3rd batch, saving costs on IT training and facilitators leveraging our experience to sustain operations, our recurrent expenditure would reduce significantly by this time, while our income increases.
By the end of 10 years, the Centre would become self-sufficient because its upward income would be inversely proportional to its expenditure.
Victims – local and foreign – will receive assistance from the Hub. Participants will have the responsibility of assisting victims to find their fraudsters, locate stealth criminal cyber activities and report findings to law enforcement agencies like Interpol Nigeria.
In addition, we intend to produce a subscription based cyber security publication, disseminating cyber-related information, an essential part of our overall function.
Participants will graduate to become facilitators and share ownership of the Centre. The Centre will be open to all Youths of all ages interested in fighting cyber crimes. It will be a community based Centre.
Velma Foundation is registered in the US System for Award Management SAM for eligibility for Government Grants.
NCAGE data SHSZ7 (NATO Support and Procurement Agency) DUNS Number: 561386901 D&B Legal Business Name: VELMA FOUNDATION
Listings of grant opportunities from both the private and public sectors in relation to Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular are actively sought by Velma-ARC.
As of 8 May 2020 Interpol National Central Bureau in Abuja Nigeria has agreed to forward their cybercriminals to our service. Proceeding from the COVID-19 lockdown, Velma-ARC will commence such activities.
Financial Information for Velma ARC 2020
Bootcamp and the Hub 1 year:
5,000,000 N
Generator:
4,131,500 N
ICT Training/IT Skills Acquisition: Remuneration for IT Trainers/Facilitators:
30,000,000 N
Psychological Intervention Assessment:
7,500,000 N
Publicity & Media Press Conference:
3,500,000 N
Transportation:
14,000,000 N
Accommodation for Facilitators:
6,000,000 N
Print Materials:
6,000,000 N
Annual Salaries:
117,000,000 N
Stipends to Volunteers:
50,400,000 N
Total: 243,531,500 N*
*Naira Nigerian local currency as total estimation (100 N @ US$0.26)
**632 thousand US Dollars as total estimation
***50 thousand US Dollars as sought from the support of ELEVATE MIT
Velma Foundation seeks a fraction of the total at 12.65% of the total estimation in the fiscal year 2020.
We intend to produce a subscription based cyber security publication that we will share with FINTech companies and other interested individuals.
Also, some victim support services will be billed by the Hub which we intend to run as a business entity independent of the Foundation.
Participants will graduate to become facilitators and share ownership of the Centre, saving costs due to our participants` experience, they become facilitators and provide IT Training.
Velma Foundation is registered in the US System for Award Management SAM for eligibility for Government Grants.
NCAGE data SHSZ7 (NATO Support and Procurement Agency)
DUNS Number: 561386901
D&B Legal Business Name: VELMA FOUNDATION
Listings of grant opportunities from both the private and public sectors in relation to Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular are actively sought by Velma-ARC.
Financial Information for Velma ARC 2020
Bootcamp and the Hub 1 year:
5,000,000 N
Generator:
4,131,500 N
ICT Training/IT Skills Acquisition: Remuneration for IT Trainers/Facilitators:
30,000,000 N
Psychological Intervention Assessment:
7,500,000 N
Publicity & Media Press Conference:
3,500,000 N
Transportation:
14,000,000 N
Accommodation for Facilitators:
6,000,000 N
Print Materials:
6,000,000 N
Annual Salaries:
117,000,000 N
Stipends to Volunteers:
50,400,000 N
Total: 243,531,500 N*
*Naira Nigerian local currency (100 N @ US$0.26)
**632 thousand US Dollars as total estimation
***50 thousand US Dollars as sought from ELEVATE MIT
Velma Foundation seeks a fraction of the total at 12.65% of the total estimation in the fiscal year 2020.
Budget 2020 Copy of USAID No (Autosaved) (1)
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT BUDGET VELMA-ARC 2020
To effectively establish institutional mechanisms for managing cyber security, Velma-ARC recognizes the tactical employment of technology as a sensible starting point in the disaggregation of cyber terrorism.
Velma-ARC`s restorative justice program as support for those youths trapped in the vicious cycle of cybercrime serves as the way forward. Additionally, to mitigate youths' risks associated with cybercrime activities, Velma-ARC serves to effectively link our repentant youths to inclusive, sustainable, and market-driven employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. As a positive contribution in society, we enable the individual to seek a life, earn a living, live as a respectable citizen without being corrupted by crime as an escape from the prevailing conditions.
For the very purpose of youth empowerment and entrepreneurship incentives to hitherto unemployed youths caught up in cybercrime activities we seek the support of The ELEVATE Prize.
Inviting buy-ins to enhance the success of our mission, Velma-ARC weighs heavily on the value system integration of partnerships with programs like ELEVATE contributing to, and optimizing the efficiency to effectively curb the perpetration of cybercrime.
Velma-ARC will consolidate strategic partnerships with organisations offering such support like ELEVATE to build markets for vocational training, prepare youths to successfully respond to current and future market demands, to lead productive lives, and positively contribute to society.
Strengthening capabilities in various cross-sectoral partnerships, this collaboration with the support offered as The ELEVATE Prize would serve to regain in our youths a sense of self-reliance and contribute positively to society at large.
2. Proposal.pdf
- Funding and revenue model
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Marketing, media, and exposure
- Other
Several countries ... did not possess the means or tools to address the problem, without obtaining or seizing keys from the suspect.1
To out-smart the cybercrime-curbing institutions, Velma-ARC recognizes that cybercriminals, in hacking, possess specialized skills in demand. As such, exposure to such techniques would contribute positively to the efforts of these institutions.
...rather than their ability to exploit flashy zero-day vulnerabilities or deploy highly bespoke malware, it is often their operational capabilities that make the difference.2
In aiming to support their ICT skills acquisition, and aid them becoming efficient stakeholders in fighting cybercrimes, the outreach of ELEVATE would not only enhance their employability, but cultivate practical tools to identify and respond to problems that reduces future risks and provides opportunities to learn prosocial strategies and coping techniques.
This alliance would consolidate Velma-ARC as the catalyst for change.
Fields of support include those specialists of:
Psychology: Criminology
Criminal Justice / Correctional Services
Cyber crime Intervention
Cyber security services
Law enforcement agencies
Judiciary
Financial Technology institutions
Financial Crimes Commission
Information / Communications Technology
Communication / Digital Economy
Education: Cyber security awareness
Below highlights the importance of collaboration, where the expertise offered serves to effectively shape our program.
As held from January 20-February 16th 2020, the rehabilitation process began with a personality assessment test administered by the psychology team from the University of Ibadan. We concluded Day 1 with an interactive session discussing the various reasons people engage in cybercrime. We identified financial difficulties, peer pressure, unemployment/lack of alternatives and misinformation as some of the major reasons.1
We thereafter received the first of many IT skills acquisition components of the program from Cybertalk Naija, educating participants on the various IT skills and requirements to learn. They were introduced to cyber security, python programming, social engineering and big data analysis. The participants were excited and responsive to all the IT sessions, asking relevant questions and participating actively. 2
Law enforcement agencies and other ICT intervention organizations across the country send candidates for rehabilitation. As of 8 May 2020 Interpol National Central Bureau in Abuja Nigeria has agreed to forward their cybercriminals to our service.
It is with this experience, we are able to scale the significance, the impact and the effect of influence on defining the model of our Velma-ARC initiative.
2 IMG-20200207-WA0020.jpg lecturer and V8
Co-Founder and Executive Director