The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned that fragmented cybersecurity practices across Nigeria’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are leaving government digital infrastructure vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
The agency issued the warning in a statement posted on its verified X account on Wednesday, citing the Deloitte Nigeria Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, which estimates that cybercrime cost the country more than $3 billion between 2019 and 2025.
The warning was delivered by Dr Ayodele Bakare, Assistant Director in NITDA’s Cybersecurity Department, while representing Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi at the opening of a two-day workshop on securing government digital infrastructure through capacity building.
Bakare said government platforms have experienced a growing number of cyber threats, including website defacements, account compromises, ransomware attacks and data exfiltration, with stolen information frequently appearing on the dark web.
He also cited a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime assessment that ranks Nigeria among Africa’s three most targeted countries for cyberattacks due to the rapid expansion of its digital economy.
According to Bakare, the interconnected nature of government systems means a vulnerability in one agency can expose multiple institutions to attack.
“The threat actors are organised, financially motivated, and politically driven. A weakness in one MDA becomes a doorway into another. Our defences cannot be fragmented; cybersecurity in government must be concerted,” he said.
NITDA said strengthening cybersecurity capacity across public institutions remains critical to protecting Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and national security.
