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Strengthening Nigeria’s digital defences in An Era Of Intelligent Threats
Oluchi Chibuzor.
As cyberattacks grow more sophisticated and costly, Nigeria’s digital future increasingly depends on professionals who can combine deep technical expertise with strategic foresight. Among this class of innovators, Mr. Oluwatobiloba Okusi is a defining voice, one whose work bridges advanced research, operational excellence, and national security priorities.
Mr. Okusi’s research on applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to protect critical national infrastructure has drawn significant attention, with hundreds of reads and dozens of citations. His work confronts a question that now shapes global security conversations: How do nations defend power grids, transportation systems, and healthcare networks from increasingly intelligent adversaries?
Industry leaders say this is precisely the kind of expertise Nigeria must cultivate. At the recent Cybersecurity Conference 2024: Cybersecurity; Synergizing AI and Infrastructure, Dr. Obadare Peter Adewale, Founder and CVO of Digital Encode Limited, stressed that the country must harness AI’s full potential to achieve real-time threat detection and continuous monitoring. He urged young Nigerian experts with exceptional ability to step forward and contribute to national resilience, a sentiment echoed by Yemi Keri, CEO of Heckerbella Limited.
Mr. Okusi represents that calibre of talent. His work spans the full spectrum of modern cybersecurity: SOC operations, cloud security architecture, penetration testing, malware analysis, and risk governance. He is an experienced cyber security analyst proficient across enterprise platforms such as Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk, Qualys, and the ELK Stack, supported by scripting expertise in Python, PowerShell, Bash, and KQL.
This breadth matters, but only when matched with depth. Dr. Alese Boniface Kayode, a member of the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria, notes that “breadth without depth produces generalists who struggle under pressure, while depth without breadth creates specialists who miss the bigger picture. The professionals who master both become the architects organizations rely on when the stakes are highest.”
Colleagues say Mr. Okusi consistently delivers measurable improvements: faster threat detection, stronger incident response, and reduced exposure to advanced persistent threats. His functional XSS detection model, combining pattern analysis with intelligent filtering demonstrates his ability to move from identifying a problem to engineering a solution.
Beyond technical achievement, Mr. Okusi is recognized for his leadership. Mr. Wale, CEO of Cedarview Communication and Onedata Nigeria, describes him as a professional who “translates technical complexity into language executives can act on,” a skill that becomes invaluable during strategic decision‑making. He also highlights Mr. Okusi’s commitment to mentoring emerging cybersecurity talent and advocating for equitable access to technology careers.
In today’s cybersecurity profession, excellence is not measured by credentials alone. It is defined by validated expertise, research that influences the field, solutions that strengthen organizational resilience, and leadership that elevates others. Mr. Oluwatobiloba Okusi embodies this standard.
As Nigeria confronts increasingly dangerous digital terrain, the country needs practitioners who can operate at the intersection of deep technical knowledge, strategic thinking, and practical implementation. The evidence suggests Mr. Okusi has positioned himself precisely there.
