Cyberattack on one MDA can expose other agencies — NITDA warns

The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has warned that a cybersecurity breach in one Ministry, Department or Agency, MDA, could expose other government institutions to attacks, calling for a coordinated national approach to protecting public digital infrastructure.

Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a two-day cybersecurity workshop for Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

The workshop, organised by NITDA, had its theme as: “Securing Government Digital Infrastructure Through Capacity Building.”

Represented by Dr Ayodele Bakare, Assistant Director, Cyber security Department, NITDA’s , Mr Inuwa said that exposure to cyber threats in one government agency could expose others to cyber threats.

The D-G said Nigeria’s rapid digital transformation had significantly expanded the country’s scope of cyber attacks to government digital platforms.

“The threat we face is no longer the work of the lone opportunist. We are contending with organised, financially motivated, and at times politically driven actors.

“They are patient, well-resourced, and willing to recognise the very tools of digital transformation that the government is adopting.

“These actors do not respect boundaries between our agencies. A weakness in one MDA becomes a doorway into another, and this is why defense cannot be fragmented.

“Our defense must be converged and done in a concerted manner because cyber security in government shall not and never be fragmented,” he emphasised.

He said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, Cybercrime Assessment ranked Nigeria among the three most cyber-targeted countries in Africa due to the expansion of its digital economy.

He also referenced the Deloitte Nigeria Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, which estimated that cybercrime cost the country more than three billion dollars between 2019 and 2025.

Mr Inuwa said NITDA, through its Computer Emergency Response Team, CERRT, remained committed to supporting MDAs in response and preventive cyber security measures.

He, however, emphasised that prevention remained more effective than response.

According to him, effective cyber security requires regular cyber risk assessments, strong policies, awareness creation, capacity building, incident response planning and continuous improvement.

“No firewall or technical control can replace the need for personnel to understand and discharge their cyber security responsibilities,” he said.

He further urged participants to see the workshop as an interactive platform for sharing intelligence, analysing recent cyber incidents and strengthening the country’s cyber resilience rather than a routine training exercise.

He disclosed that participants would also review and provide input on NITDA’s draft Regulatory Guidelines for Government Information Security Management before wider stakeholder consultations.

“Nigeria’s digital future is not a threat to be feared but an opportunity to be secured,” Mr Inuwa said.

Hamza Lateef, cyber security expert and facilitator, said the opening session was designed to provide participants with a broad overview of Nigeria’s evolving cyber threat landscape.

Mr Lateef said it highlighted emerging threats such as ransomware attacks, Advanced Persistent Threat, APT, groups, and other cyber actors with varying motives and objectives.

Lateef explained that some cyber incidents were driven by digital activists seeking to protest government policies by targeting public digital infrastructure.

According to him, recent trends have also shown increased interference by foreign actors attempting to disrupt government portals and critical online services.

He said the workshop also emphasised the need for MDAs to strengthen cyber security governance by implementing secure systems and assigning clear cyber security responsibilities to contractors handling government ICT infrastructure.

Participants in the workshop were drawn from TETFund, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, among others.
NAN