Experts Advocate Digital Infrastructure Resilience to Enhance National Security

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Security experts have advocated strengthening cyber and digital infrastructure resilience as a crucial step towards enhancing national security.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Security Exhibition and Conference, Frank Ohwofa, noted that increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and the growing reliance on digital systems demand robust, well-coordinated protective measures.

He emphasised the need for modernised networks, improved incident-response capabilities, and closer collaboration between government, industry, and international partners to address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

He observed that Nigeria must achieve logistical and supply chain sovereignty in weapons manufacturing to guarantee self-reliance.

According to him: “We must ensure cyber and digital infrastructure resilience. This involves securing our command, control, and critical national assets from debilitating attacks.

“We must achieve logistical and supply chain sovereignty to ensure our Armed Forces can operate sustainably without over-reliance on fragile international networks.

“We are committed to human capital development. This requires investing in the continuous training, welfare, and adaptive mindset of our military personnel for high-tech, multi-domain environments.

“We must build information resilience. This means developing the capacity to counter disinformation and psychological operations aimed at undermining our national will.

“However, resilience alone is passive. It requires the second pillar: active force build-up capabilities. Our focus here is on sovereign, sustainable, and smart power. This means achieving industrial sovereignty.”

On the upcoming security conference and exhibition scheduled for next week, Frank stated the event is designed to serve as a catalyst for defence industry sovereignty.

“It will be a dynamic marketplace of ideas, technologies, and partnerships. It will feature high-level strategic dialogue with defence leaders,” he said.

The Director General of the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Major General Babatunde Alaya, said the forthcoming conference marks a significant milestone for Nigeria’s defence and security ecosystem.

Represented by the Director of Engineering Services, Commodore Adedotun Ogundiran, the DG stated that it represents a forward-looking step towards strengthening Nigeria’s defence industrialisation, establishing the country as a central hub for defence research, manufacturing, and technological development on the continent.

“The 2025 exhibition is being organised through a strategic partnership with a well-recognised institution in defence and security exhibitions. The partnership aligns with one of the mandates of DICON,” he said.

The DICON Act 2023, he said, empowers the corporation to operate as a modern defence manufacturing entity that regulates the defence industrial sector, promotes defence research and development, and engages both domestic and foreign partners to advance sustainable defence capabilities and technology transfer within and outside Nigeria.