NITDA DG Warns MDAs Against Weak Cybersecurity

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, represented by Assistant Director of the Cybersecurity Department, Dr. Ayodele Bakare, has warned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) against maintaining fragmented cybersecurity systems that leave Nigeria’s digital infrastructure vulnerable to sophisticated attacks.

He made the remarks at a two-day workshop themed “Securing Government Digital Infrastructure Through Capacity Building,” organised to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and resilience across government institutions.

Bakare said cyber threats against government platforms are increasing, citing incidents such as website defacements, account hijacks, ransomware attacks, and data exfiltration, with stolen information often appearing on the dark web.

He referenced a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime assessment that ranked Nigeria among Africa’s three most targeted nations for cyberattacks, attributing the trend to the rapid growth of the country’s digital economy.

Bakare also cited the 2026 Lloyds Nigerian Cybersecurity Outlook, which estimated that cybercrime cost Nigeria more than $3 billion between 2019 and 2025.

“The threat actors are organised, financially motivated, and politically driven,” he said. “A weakness in one MDA becomes a doorway into another. Our defences cannot be fragmented; cybersecurity in government must be concerted.”

He urged participants to see the workshop not merely as training, but as a platform for intelligence sharing and policy input. Activities include reviewing NITDA’s draft Regulatory Guidelines for Government Information Security Management and analysing real-world case studies to improve incident response and resilience.

Bakare reaffirmed that NITDA’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) remains available as the primary point of contact for government agencies, while stressing that effective prevention depends on rigorous risk assessment, policy enforcement, and building a strong “human firewall.”