The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has emphasized that cybersecurity efforts across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) should be well-coordinated and not disjointed.
Malam Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a two-day cybersecurity workshop for MDAs.
Organized by NITDA, the workshop was themed: “Securing Government Digital Infrastructure Through Capacity Building.”
Represented by Dr. Ayodele Bakare, Assistant Director of the Cybersecurity Department, Inuwa noted that exposure to cyber threats in one government agency could jeopardize others.
He explained that Nigeria’s rapid digital transformation has significantly increased the country’s vulnerability to cyber attacks on government platforms.
“The threat we face is no longer from lone opportunists. We are dealing with organized, financially motivated, and sometimes politically driven actors.
“They are patient, well-resourced, and capable of exploiting the very tools of digital transformation the government is adopting.
“These actors do not respect the boundaries between agencies. A weakness in one MDA can serve as a gateway into another, which is why cybersecurity cannot be fragmented.
“Our defense must be converged and coordinated because cybersecurity in government must never be fragmented,” he emphasized.
Inuwa added that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Cybercrime Assessment ranks Nigeria among the three most cyber-targeted countries in Africa, due to the growth of its digital economy.
He also referenced the Deloitte Nigeria Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, which estimates cybercrime costs Nigeria over three billion dollars between 2019 and 2025.
NITDA, through its Computer Emergency Response Team (CERRT), remains committed to supporting MDAs with response and preventive cybersecurity measures.
He stressed that prevention is more effective than response.
Effective cybersecurity, he said, requires regular risk assessments, strong policies, awareness, capacity building, incident response plans, and continuous improvement.
“No firewall or technical control can replace personnel understanding and responsibility in cybersecurity,” Inuwa stated.
He urged participants to view the workshop as an interactive platform for sharing intelligence, analyzing recent incidents, and strengthening Nigeria’s cyber resilience, rather than just routine training.
Participants will also review and provide input on NITDA’s draft Regulatory Guidelines for Government Information Security Management before broader stakeholder consultations.
“Nigeria’s digital future is not a threat but an opportunity to be secured,” Inuwa concluded.
Cybersecurity expert and facilitator Mr. Hamza Lateef said the opening session provided an overview of Nigeria’s evolving cyber threat landscape, highlighting emerging threats such as ransomware, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), and other cyber actors with various motives.
Lateef explained that some incidents are driven by digital activists protesting government policies through targeted attacks on public digital infrastructure.
He also noted increased interference by foreign actors attempting to disrupt government portals and critical online services.
The workshop emphasized the need for MDAs to strengthen cybersecurity governance by deploying secure systems and clearly assigning responsibilities to contractors managing government ICT infrastructure.
Participants included representatives from TETFund, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and others.
