Why Nigeria’s Digital Future Hinges on Culture, Not Code
By Shuaib S. Agaka
Nigeria is not short of digital policies, platforms, or ambitions. Over the years, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has stood at the centre of many of these efforts—from e-government frameworks and nationwide digital skills programmes to the explosive growth of fintech and online services. On paper, the architecture of a digital economy is firmly in place, and the country appears to be marching confidently into the digital age.
Yet, everyday experience tells a more complicated story. Across public institutions and private organisations, digital systems often sit awkwardly beside slow, manual practices, creating friction instead of efficiency. Online platforms exist, but queues persist. Forms are filled digitally, but approvals still crawl. This disconnect exposes a persistent gap between adoption and transformation. NITDA’s 2026 Core Digital Resolutions subtly confront this reality by emphasising a digital-first mindset rather than the mere deployment of tools, pointing to a deeper challenge rooted not in technology, but in behaviour.
Nigeria’s digital journey has largely followed a familiar pattern: technology is layered onto existing systems without questioning the logic that governs them. Processes that were inefficient on paper have simply been transferred to screens, preserving their flaws in digital form. Online portals mirror bureaucratic hierarchies, approval chains remain rigid, and timelines remain unchanged despite new software.
In public administration, digital systems often coexist with informal practices that quietly undermine them. An application may be submitted online, yet progress stalls until a physical visit is made. Data may be captured electronically, but decisions are delayed because files still need manual validation. In such cases, technology becomes an accessory rather than a catalyst, useful for record-keeping but incapable of delivering speed, transparency, or trust.
The real obstacle is not the absence of infrastructure, but the persistence of institutional habits shaped in a pre-digital era. Many organisations still privilege physical presence, hierarchical control, and discretionary authority. Digital tools are treated as supportive aids rather than foundations for redesigning how work is done. When technology is forced to conform to outdated structures, it loses its transformative power and instead reinforces existing bottlenecks.
A genuinely digital-first institution does the opposite. It reimagines processes from the ground up, simplifying decision-making, clarifying responsibilities, and measuring outcomes in real-time. Authority is embedded in systems rather than personalities, accountability is enforced through traceable actions, and unnecessary steps are eliminated. This kind of transformation cannot be achieved by software alone; it requires organisations to let go of practices that no longer serve their purpose.
Mindset change, however, is the most stubborn form of reform. Technology can be purchased quickly, policies drafted with ease, and training programmes rolled out with impressive statistics. Altering how institutions think, decide, and exercise authority is far more difficult. Digital reform interferes with long-standing power dynamics. In many organisations, influence is derived not from efficiency but from control over processes. Lengthy procedures, opaque decisions, and manual checkpoints function as informal sources of authority. Digital systems flatten hierarchies, reduce discretion, and make actions traceable, an unsettling prospect for those accustomed to ambiguity.
Transparency itself becomes a threat. Digital systems log actions, expose bottlenecks, and generate data that invites scrutiny. In environments where opacity has long been normalised, this level of visibility is uncomfortable. Resistance also stems from fear of exposure. Digital systems demand confidence, an ability to understand tools, interpret data, and adapt continuously. Where authority has historically rested on tenure rather than competence, adoption is often slow, partial, or deliberately superficial.
Bureaucratic inertia compounds the challenge. Institutions designed to minimise risk often prioritise familiarity over performance. Digital reform demands experimentation, iteration, and tolerance for disruption. Without incentives that reward innovation, organisations default to what feels safe. Directives can compel people to use platforms, but they cannot force them to trust those systems or abandon habits that feel more advantageous.
This is where NITDA’s 2026 Core Digital Resolutions matter. They move beyond the usual policy language of infrastructure and platforms, framing digital-first thinking as a cultural imperative. The shift is subtle but significant. It challenges Nigerians to ask how technology can improve processes before reverting to old habits. Digital adoption becomes less about tools and more about discipline, prioritising efficiency, transparency, and innovation over convenience and tradition.
Citizens, too, are central to this transformation. Resistance to digital systems remains widespread, fuelled by distrust, poor design, or past negative experiences. Many users still find manual processes easier than navigating clunky platforms. Even digitally literate professionals revert to analogue methods when systems are perceived as frustrating. Yet digital reform cannot succeed if participation is optional. Systems built for transparency and efficiency only work when they are used consistently and intentionally.
A truly digital-first Nigeria will not be defined by the number of platforms deployed, but by how people interact with systems and with each other. Services will be designed around user needs. Efficiency will be expected, not exceptional. Decisions will be guided by data rather than hierarchy. Accountability will be embedded in systems, not dependent on personalities. Technology will not merely support governance; it will reshape it.
NITDA’s 2026 Core Digital Resolutions should therefore be read as a test of Nigeria’s readiness for genuine transformation. They reveal that the path to a functional digital economy is less about acquiring machines and more about changing minds. The future of Nigeria’s digital landscape will be determined by the willingness of institutions and citizens alike to abandon analogue comfort and embrace digital discipline in everyday decisions. In 2026, mindset—not machinery—will decide whether digital reform succeeds or remains a promise unfulfilled.
Shuaib S. Agaka is a tech journalist and digital policy analyst based in Kano.
Email: [email protected]
