Telecoms is the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy-Expert

By Tosin Clegg

Telecommunication and software quality assurance engineer,Babajide Olaitan Muyideen has stated that telecom is the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy and it is also the backbone of national security.

Speaking in an interview,Babajide said when telecom networks are weak, fraud scales, misinformation spreads faster, and critical services become fragile but when telecom networks are resilient, citizens are safer, businesses run better, and government services become more dependable.

To strengthen security in Nigeria and beyond, the telecom expert said the nation need tighter SIM and identity processes to reduce SIM-swap, stronger monitoring to detect abuse early, and structured collaboration—telcos, regulators, banks, and law enforcement—sharing threat signals fast.

‘On affordability and adoption, the biggest levers are infrastructure sharing to cut costs, device affordability programs, and widespread digital skills training—plus basic cyber hygiene. People adopt what they can afford, what they understand, and what they trust.’ He emphasized.

Babajide noted that he is most excited about AI-driven security in telecom operations—because attacks are now high-volume and real-time. ‘We need networks that can detect anomalies in real time, respond quickly, and continuously improve. Telecom security is national security—because telecom is now the infrastructure behind identity, payments, and emergency response. In Africa, adoption is not just coverage; it’s affordability, skills, and trust working together. Fraud scales where verification is weak—SIM integrity is a frontline security issue. Digital inclusion fails when users don’t feel safe. Trust is part of infrastructure. Risk is not fear—its likelihood times impact, and telecoms can quantify it and manage it. AI is changing both sides: attackers use it to scale, defenders must use it to detect and respond faster.” He explained.

‘ AI-driven security and operations—using analytics and automation to detect fraud and anomalies faster than humans can at telecom scale. As networks grow more complex, AI becomes important for identifying threats early and reducing downtime. A close second is 5G network slicing, because it enables dedicated “secure lanes” for critical services—like emergency response, financial services, and utilities—where both performance and security standards can be clearly defined. The future is networks that can defend themselves in real time—because attackers are already moving in real time.” He stated.