The Federal Government has signalled plans to establish a National Cybersecurity Coordination Council as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s collective cyber resilience and improve coordinated responses to rising digital threats.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed that the proposed council will operate as a non-statutory, multi-stakeholder platform, bringing together public institutions, private sector operators, and cybersecurity professionals to enhance collaboration and information sharing.
Why it matters
The move comes amid recent cybersecurity incidents affecting financial institutions, public systems, and service providers, highlighting growing vulnerabilities within Nigeria’s expanding digital economy.
According to the Ministry, these attacks reflect an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape, driven by organised cybercriminal networks targeting critical infrastructure and customer data.
How the Council will work
The proposed Council is designed to:
Strengthen real-time threat intelligence sharing
Improve early detection and coordinated incident response
Support sector-wide cyber resilience protocols
Enhance public-private collaboration frameworks
Provide advisory support to government on cybersecurity strategy
It will also facilitate operational coordination for cyber risk management, recovery, and national readiness.
Who will be involved
Membership of the Council is expected to include:
Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) across key sectors
Cybersecurity professional bodies, including the Nigerian Computer Society
International technology providers and OEMs
Security researchers and technical experts
Law enforcement agencies
Civil society organisations
Relevant government MDAs
Institutional backing
To drive the initiative, the Minister has mandated key agencies including:
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
Galaxy Backbone Limited
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)
to jointly establish a technical coordination secretariat, which will be housed within NITDA.
The secretariat will develop Terms of Reference (ToR) and coordinate stakeholder engagement under the supervision of the Minister’s office.
National Roundtable
As part of the rollout, the Ministry will convene a National Cybersecurity Industry Roundtable in April 2026, marking the formal start of consultations and framework development for the Council.
Minister’s position
Tijani emphasised that cybersecurity must be approached as a shared national responsibility, noting that:
“Protecting Nigeria’s digital economy requires strong partnerships, trusted collaboration, and collective vigilance across government, industry, and civil society.”
