The Growing Urgency of Cybersecurity in Nigeria: Experts Warn of a Post‑COVID Digital Threat Landscape

By Kemi Aladeyemi

As Nigeria accelerates its shift toward remote work, digital payments, virtual schooling, and cloud‑based service delivery during the COVID‑19 pandemic, cybersecurity experts warn that the country is entering a decisive decade, one that will determine whether it becomes a leader in digital resilience or a prime target for escalating cyber threats.

To provide a comprehensive analysis, this newspaper consulted six specialists from different sectors: Dr. Stephen Obiora, Professor of Information Systems, University of Lagos (Academia); Mrs. Halima Dawari, Senior Partner, Strategic Futures Consulting (Consulting); Engr. Tunde Fakorede, Telecommunications Infrastructure Architect, WestLink Towers (IT/Telecoms); Ms. Oreoluwa Joda, Cybersecurity professional (Global FinTech); Ms. Chika Omenka, Digital‑Economy Policy Analyst, Abuja Policy Forum (Public Policy); and Mr. Isaac Mensah, Cybercrime Research Fellow, ECOWAS Regional Security Programme (International Security)

The discourse surrounding Nigeria’s post-pandemic cybersecurity future extended far beyond any single expert. Much of the conversation was shaped by specialists consulted for this report, each of whom brought sector-specific insights into the country’s growing digital vulnerabilities.
Professor Stephen Obiora underscored academia’s concern about the widening skill gap in cybersecurity education, while Mrs. Halima Dawari, a senior consultant, highlighted the structural weaknesses facing SMEs navigating rapid digitalization. Engr. Tunde Fakorede, a telecoms infrastructure architect, drew attention to network-level vulnerabilities exacerbated by increased remote access. Oreoluwa Joda offered a perspective shaped not only by technical exposure but by her grounding in global affairs and African development, an outlook drawn on her continued engagement with digital-governance conversations across Africa.

Ms. Chika Omenka, a digital-economy policy analyst, stressed the urgent need for regulatory reform to match Nigeria’s accelerating digital growth. Adding a regional security dimension, Mr. Isaac Mensah of ECOWAS warned that cyber threats have become transnational and will require coordinated regional defense strategies. Together, these experts painted a multi-layered picture of Nigeria’s cybersecurity landscape, one that reflects diverse experiences but converges around a shared message: the next decade will be pivotal for Nigeria’s digital resilience.

According to Professor Obiora, cyberattacks on Nigerian institutions increased sharply in the first six months of 2020 as financial transactions and schooling migrated online due to lockdowns.

“The pandemic accelerated our digital adoption by at least five years,” he states. “Unfortunately, our cybersecurity investment did not grow at the same pace.”

Telecoms architect Engr. Fakorede added that the rapid reliance on digital platforms expanded Nigeria’s attack surface: “Every new remote‑access point, every cloud workload, every digital service adopted during lockdown created new entry points for attackers.”

Consulting expert Mrs. Dawari warned that many SMEs mistakenly treat cybersecurity as an afterthought: “COVID‑19 forced them online overnight, but without cybersecurity controls.”

“African countries cannot rely only on external frameworks to secure our digital future,” Ms. Joda noted. “COVID‑19 exposed the fragility of digital ecosystems worldwide, but for Nigeria, the impact is magnified. Our strategy over the next decade must combine local cybersecurity capacity, predictive analytics, identity governance, and risk‑management structures tailored to our environment.”

Policy analyst Omenka highlighted broader developmental implications: “Cybercrime is now a national‑development constraint. Our policies must evolve.”

Mr. Mensah of ECOWAS concluded with stressing regional implications: “If Nigeria strengthens its systems, the entire subregion benefits.” Speaking from a global and African‑development perspective, he emphasized that Nigeria must avoid depending solely on imported solutions

The consensus among the expert panel is unmistakable: Nigeria must prioritize cybersecurity as a national imperative to secure its digital future in the post‑COVID decade.