NCC, risk managers advocate overhaul of national security system

The Nigerian Communications Commission and enterprise risk management professionals have called for a shift in the country’s security governance framework, urging a coordinated approach to addressing rising physical, cyber, and operational risks.

The call came during Nigeria’s inaugural Enterprise Security Risk Management Conference, held at James Hope University in Lekki, Lagos, which brought together policymakers, regulators, security agencies, academics, and private sector leaders under the theme “Repositioning Enterprise Security Risk Management in Evolving Global Threat Landscape: A Multi-Stakeholder Imperative.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday following a conference, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals, Dr Olayinka Odutola, said stakeholders agreed that fragmented and reactive security models were no longer sufficient to address the scale and complexity of emerging threats across sectors.

In a keynote address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, revealed that Nigeria now has more than 185 million active mobile connections and over 153 million internet subscriptions, but continues to face more than 4,000 cyberattacks weekly.

He also raised concern over infrastructure vulnerabilities, including over 27,000 fibre cuts recorded in 2025, as well as data sovereignty risks, noting that nearly 90 per cent of Nigerian data is hosted outside Africa.

Maida said addressing these challenges requires a shared responsibility model involving regulators, operators, security agencies, academia, and the private sector.

“Building a secure and resilient digital ecosystem requires a shared responsibility model involving regulators, operators, government institutions, private sector organisations and academia,” he said.

He outlined ongoing regulatory responses, including the Telecom Identity Risk Management System, a cyber resilience framework for the communications sector; enhanced corporate governance requirements; and the enforcement of critical national information infrastructure protections.

Delivering the opening address, the Chairman of the Occasion and Chief Executive Officer of Advantec Marine Service, Rear Admiral Kenneth Ati-John, said security risk can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of traditional security agencies.

He noted that contemporary threats including terrorism, cybercrime, kidnapping, disinformation, supply chain disruption, climate-related risks, and institutional trust deficits are increasingly interconnected and capable of cascading across sectors and institutions.

The expert called for a shift from reaction to anticipation, from siloed responses to systems thinking, and from compliance-based approaches to a culture of risk awareness embedded across organisations and society.

The conference also featured a keynote address delivered on behalf of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Otunba Daniel, by his Chief of Staff, Dr Babatunde Onadeko.

The presentation highlighted the growing complexity of systemic risk in an interconnected world where cyber incidents, operational disruptions, governance failures, and geopolitical events increasingly overlap. It stressed that security is no longer merely a technical concern but an economic, institutional, and strategic imperative requiring direct board oversight and executive accountability.

Participants were urged to institutionalise intelligence sharing, conduct joint preparedness exercises, and adopt risk-based prioritisation frameworks that focus resources on the most critical vulnerabilities.

In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, the Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to building a resilient, technology-driven, and investment-friendly environment capable of supporting sustainable economic growth.

The message emphasised that modern threats have become fluid, borderless, and highly unpredictable, requiring innovative approaches that integrate physical, cyber, economic, and social dimensions of security.

The Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, represented by the Controller of the Lagos State Correctional Command, Mr George Daramola, highlighted the role of intelligence-led collaboration and institutional resilience in addressing emerging threats such as violent extremism, organised crime, cyber-enabled offences and custodial security challenges.

The conference also featured remarks delivered on behalf of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Bashir Adeniyi, by the Acting Customs Area Controller, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Command, Deputy Comptroller Bolaji Adigun.

The presentation emphasised the need to balance security imperatives with trade facilitation and operational efficiency within the framework of enterprise security risk management. It noted that contemporary security challenges are increasingly interconnected and require coordinated multi-agency responses involving the Customs Service, Immigration Service, NDLEA, DSS, the Nigeria Police Force, port authorities, financial intelligence units, and other stakeholders, alongside strong private sector and international collaboration.

It further underscored the role of technology as a force multiplier in modern border security operations, including artificial intelligence, risk profiling systems, non-intrusive inspection technologies, smart surveillance, biometrics, drones, and data-driven intelligence systems to enhance operational effectiveness and resilience.

The conference also benefited from a comprehensive presentation by the Director of the Centre of Excellence at Halogen Group, Dr Wale Adeagbo, who provided an in-depth exploration of ESRM as a strategic framework for aligning security objectives with organisational mission and value creation.

Drawing on global security trends, he emphasised the shift from traditional security models to predictive, analytics-driven, and people-centered approaches. He stressed that future security systems must be proactive, adaptive, and integrated, built around principles such as zero trust architecture, real-time resilience, and security by design.

He also challenged security professionals to adopt a broader enterprise perspective that considers organisational culture, industry context, operational realities, and evolving threat dynamics in risk management.

Complementing these perspectives, the Chief Information Security Officer of Quest Merchant Bank, Maji Allamogu, presented a strategic framework for repositioning enterprise security risk management within modern organisations.

The presentation highlighted the limitations of traditional risk management approaches and showed how ESRM integrates cybersecurity, physical security, operational resilience, supply chain security, data privacy, and regulatory compliance into a unified governance structure.

It further emphasised board-level visibility, centralised risk intelligence, continuous monitoring, risk-based decision-making, and the translation of security risks into business and financial impact metrics that support executive decisions.

Speaking on the significance of the event, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals, Dr Olayinka Odutola, said the conference marks the beginning of a sustained national conversation aimed at advancing enterprise security risk management as a strategic enabler of organisational resilience, economic growth, and national development.