We Must Build Cybersecurity Alongside Digital Infrastructure, Says NITDA DG

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Director General National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kachifu Abdulahi has stated that as Nigeria is building digital infrastructure along with digital security.

He stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at a press conference on the forth coming International Cyber Security Conference taking place in Abuja from 27-28 October 2026. With the theme. “Cyber Resilience in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Defending minds, networks, and nations”

“We want to increase our commitment in integrating cyber security into Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. We want everyone to be designing with cyber security in mind, because most of the time we spend a lot building our digital infrastructure, but we don’t defending their organisation’s digital infrastructure or national infrastructure.

“So we want to encourage them when they come to this conference to be open, to engage with international participants, as well as people from other industries, so that we can share experience across the board.”

According to him, “More than 95% of all cyber breaches are a result of human error. So that means we need to let our people know. It’s not everything you see online you trust.”

Abdulahi also stated that Nigeria has put in place laws and policies to guide individuals, public and private institutions on the need to build digital security alongside digital infrastructure.

“We have the Cyber Security and Crime Act, which is a law that empower the office of the National Security Advisor to establish M3C, which is the National Security Council. Cyber Security Coordination Center, which coordinate the national cyber security issues. So we have sectoral side under that.

“We NITDA is taking care of MDAs and private citizens. Why the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is coordinating telecommunications, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is coordinating the banks.”

He noted that there’s is synergy between these three government agencies on digital security. “We all work together in terms of seeing how we collaborate, share intelligence on what is happening.”

In addition he said, “Beyond that, we said, we need to have national cyber security architecture. The architecture will set standard for everyone building technology.

“You need to have a minimum cyber security standard to protect yourself. And also, the architecture will recommend minimum investment that anybody should have in your agency.”

“We don’t want to have any weak link in that network. That’s why the architecture will recommend what minimum standard every organisation should have.”

Speaking earlier he said, “We want to increase our commitment in integrating cyber security into Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. We want everyone to be designing with cyber security in mind, because most of the time we spend a lot building our digital infrastructure, but we don’t defending their organisation’s digital infrastructure or national infrastructure. So we want to encourage them when they come to this conference to be open, to engage with international

The Director National Digital Forensic Lab, Office o the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Mohammed Adumu, said, “The Office of National Security Advisor to establish the National Engineering and Computer Analysis Response Team to establish the National Digital Pharmaceutical Laboratory to formulate cyber security policy strategy and to designate, to advise, designate critical national information infrastructure.”

The Managing Director of QNA MARCOM, Ankit Shukla, said, “After we organized the first cyber security conference many people and countries are interested in what Nigeria is doing an they want to be part of this conference. They’re coming from all over Africa and the world.”