The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and lawmakers have called for stronger cybersecurity measures, improved legislation and closer collaboration among government agencies to protect Nigeria’s digital infrastructure against emerging threats driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
They made the call at the second edition of the International Conference on Cybersecurity, which focused on “Cyber Resilience in the Age of AI: Defending Minds, Networks and Nations.”
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the growing sophistication of AI-powered cyberattacks required Nigeria to move beyond conventional cybersecurity measures towards a comprehensive resilience framework that would enable individuals, organisations and government institutions to withstand and recover from digital threats.
Abdullahi disclosed that participation in the conference had increased significantly, from more than 600 participants representing 175 organisations in the previous edition to over 700 participants this year, with the number expected to rise as additional requests for participation continued to come in.
He said the agency was considering expanding the conference next year to accommodate the growing interest in cybersecurity and digital resilience.
According to him, cybersecurity focuses primarily on preventing attacks, while cyber resilience emphasises the ability to recover from attacks and maintain essential operations despite disruptions.
He noted that artificial intelligence had become a powerful tool for both cybercriminals and security professionals, making it necessary for organisations to deploy AI strategically to strengthen their defences.
The NITDA chief warned that cyber threats were increasingly targeting people rather than computer systems because manipulating human behaviour could provide attackers with easier access to sensitive information and critical infrastructure.
He raised concerns about the growing use of AI to generate fake voices, videos, photographs and other misleading content capable of manipulating public perception and undermining trust.
Abdullahi questioned the reliability of digital content in an era when AI could produce convincing fabrications, stressing the need for citizens to develop the ability to distinguish authentic information from manipulated material.
He said the conference would examine ways to protect individuals from AI-driven social engineering, misinformation and other forms of digital manipulation, while strengthening the resilience of networks connecting individuals, organisations and government institutions.
The NITDA director-general explained that the agency was working with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Assembly to review Nigeria’s cybercrime legislation and strengthen the country’s legal capacity to address emerging threats.
He also disclosed plans to review relevant policies and consider developing a national cybersecurity architecture that would establish minimum security standards for organisations operating in Nigeria.
According to him, the agency is also working to strengthen sectoral Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), which coordinate with the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre to protect Nigeria’s digital networks.
On digital sovereignty, Abdullahi said Nigeria must develop the capacity to exercise greater control over its digital infrastructure, data, technology and technological future.
He disclosed that NITDA had issued the National Sovereign Cloud Regulatory Instrument to provide a framework for addressing issues relating to data, infrastructure, cloud technology and artificial intelligence.
He further stressed the need to ensure that AI systems deployed in Nigeria understand the country’s values, cultures and languages and operate in ways that serve national interests.
“Cyber resilience is beyond just protecting ourselves,” he said, adding that Nigeria must have greater control over how digital systems are designed, deployed and managed, including who owns and controls data and the technologies used to process it.
NCC Advocates Collective Defence Against AI-Powered Attacks
Also speaking, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Aminu Maida, represented at the conference by a senior official of the commission, said the emergence of AI had fundamentally changed the cybersecurity landscape.
He observed that cybercriminals were increasingly deploying sophisticated technologies to manipulate human behaviour, compromise digital identities and execute attacks at speeds that traditional security systems might struggle to match.
Maida described telecommunications infrastructure as the central nervous system of Nigeria’s digital economy, noting that financial transactions, public services, business operations and everyday communications depend on reliable digital networks.
He said the rapid development of AI had increased both the speed and scale of cyber warfare, requiring Nigeria to adopt more proactive and coordinated defence mechanisms.
According to him, cyber resilience involves the capacity to anticipate, withstand, recover from and adapt to hostile digital conditions without disrupting the country’s economic activities.
He identified AI-driven phishing, automated credential attacks, deepfakes designed to defeat authentication systems and self-modifying malware as emerging threats that demand greater vigilance.
Maida warned that attackers could identify vulnerabilities faster than organisations could develop and deploy security patches, underscoring the importance of continuous monitoring and rapid response.
He said the NCC had established a Computer Security Incident Response Team for the communications sector to monitor threats, coordinate real-time intelligence sharing and enforce incident-reporting requirements.
He added that the commission’s Cybersecurity Resilience Framework for the communications sector provides a common security baseline for licensed operators and strengthens coordination between telecommunications companies, the NCC and national cybersecurity institutions.
Maida outlined three priorities for strengthening Nigeria’s cyber resilience: protecting human beings, securing networks and safeguarding the nation.
On human protection, he called for cybersecurity awareness to become part of organisational culture and public consciousness, arguing that technology alone could not eliminate vulnerabilities arising from human behaviour.
He urged telecommunications operators to adopt zero-trust security architecture, based on the principle of continuously verifying users, devices and access requests.
He also called for regular audits of AI systems integrated into telecommunications networks to identify algorithmic backdoors, data poisoning and unauthorised automated modifications.
On national security, Maida emphasised the need for real-time collaboration among regulators, telecommunications operators, financial institutions, security agencies and international partners.
“Cyber defence is a collective defence,” he said, stressing that an attack on a telecommunications provider could have consequences for the financial sector, national defence and public administration.
He added that the success of Nigeria’s digital transformation should be measured not only by the speed of its networks but also by their security and reliability under attack.
Justice Ministry Moves to Strengthen Cybercrime Laws
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Iseoluwa Oyedepo, SAN, said Nigeria must strengthen its legal and institutional frameworks to keep pace with rapidly evolving cyber threats.
In a message delivered at the conference, Fagbemi noted that cybercrime had expanded beyond conventional online fraud to include threats against financial systems, national security, personal dignity and public trust.
He cited business email compromise, cryptocurrency-enabled fraud, sextortion, child exploitation and AI-assisted deception as examples of increasingly sophisticated and transnational cyber threats.
The attorney-general stressed that no country could effectively tackle such challenges in isolation, calling for stronger cooperation among governments, law enforcement agencies, technology companies, civil society and international partners.
He said the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended, remained central to Nigeria’s response to cybercrime.
Fagbemi disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Justice had advanced work on a draft executive bill aimed at strengthening the country’s legal framework in response to emerging technological developments.
According to him, the proposed reforms are intended to improve the preservation and exchange of electronic evidence, support effective investigations and prosecutions, and ensure that cybersecurity enforcement respects human rights and the rule of law.
“Security must protect liberty, not become an excuse to undermine it,” he said.
The attorney-general reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to cybersecurity, adding that recommendations emerging from the conference would be considered in developing proposals for the National Assembly.
He maintained that a nation’s cybersecurity strength depended not merely on advanced technology but also on effective laws, prepared institutions and the protection of its citizens.
Senate Committee Chairman Proposes National Cyber Resilience Index
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, called for stronger coordination among government institutions and the development of a national framework for measuring the cybersecurity preparedness of organisations.
Salisu, who represents Ogun Central Senatorial District, said Nigeria possessed considerable intellectual capacity in technology but needed to harness that expertise through greater collaboration among relevant institutions.
He proposed a national retreat involving agencies and stakeholders across the digital ecosystem, including NITDA, the NCC, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, the National Identity Management Commission,
Galaxy Backbone, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
According to him, such a gathering would help identify shared challenges, develop coordinated solutions and establish common priorities for the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
He warned that institutions could no longer afford to operate in silos or allow territorial interests to undermine cooperation.
The senator also proposed the establishment of a Cyber Resilience Index to assess and rank organisations according to their cybersecurity preparedness.
He explained that, just as credit ratings help evaluate financial standing, a cybersecurity index could provide measurable benchmarks for assessing the ability of organisations to prevent, withstand and recover from cyberattacks.
The framework, he said, would help organisations understand their existing weaknesses and identify practical steps towards improving their security posture.
“You cannot manage it until you are able to measure it,” Salisu said, emphasising the need for a standardised mechanism to assess cybersecurity resilience across the country.
He further called for stronger digital cooperation among African countries, noting that cyber threats and data flows frequently cross national borders.
Salisu argued that efforts to promote cross-border digital transactions should be accompanied by measures that facilitate the movement of people, professionals and businesses across African countries.
He said Nigeria had a responsibility to provide leadership in cybersecurity and digital development across West Africa and the wider continent.
The senator also commended NITDA, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and other stakeholders for their contributions to strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
House Committee Chairman Warns Against Outdated Cybersecurity Laws
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Hon. Stanley Adedeji Olajide, said the rapid evolution of technology required continuous reassessment of cybersecurity strategies and legislation.
Olajide, who represents Ibadan North-West/Ibadan South-West Federal Constituency of Oyo State, described cybersecurity as a constantly changing challenge that demands fresh thinking from policymakers, technology experts and security professionals.
Drawing on his experience in the technology industry in the United States, he explained that successive technological developments, including distributed computing and cloud computing, had introduced new security challenges requiring different approaches.
He said the emergence of artificial intelligence had further complicated the cybersecurity landscape, making it necessary for governments and institutions to continually review their strategies.
According to him, laws that were adequate a few years ago might no longer address current threats, particularly as AI-enabled attacks become more sophisticated.
Olajide urged participants to approach the conference with a spirit of cooperation and a willingness to develop innovative solutions that would benefit Nigeria, Africa and the international community.
He warned that cyberattacks could have consequences extending beyond the disruption of computer systems, potentially affecting essential services and critical sectors of the global economy.
The lawmaker also highlighted the connection between cybersecurity and food security, noting that digital disruptions could affect the systems supporting food production, distribution and supply chains.
He called for sustained collaboration among countries and institutions to develop effective responses to cyber threats in the age of artificial intelligence.
The conference brought together policymakers, legislators, cybersecurity experts, regulators, industry leaders and international partners to examine strategies for protecting individuals, digital infrastructure and national interests against emerging cyber threats.
FirmNews reports that the discussions underscored the growing consensus among Nigeria’s technology regulators and lawmakers that effective cyber resilience requires coordinated policies, stronger legislation, measurable security standards and sustained investment in public awareness as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the digital landscape.
