Nigeria’s First Enterprise Security Risk Management Conference Calls For A New Era Of Collaborative Security Governance

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

The Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals (AERMP), successfully hosted Nigeria’s inaugural Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) Conference at James Hope University, Lekki, Lagos, under the theme: “Repositioning Enterprise Security Risk Management in Evolving Global Threat Landscape: A Multi-Stakeholder Imperative.”

The landmark conference brought together policymakers, regulators, security experts, academics, corporate executives, and risk management professionals to examine the rapidly changing security landscape and chart a coordinated path toward building resilient institutions, businesses, and communities.

The conference established a clear consensus among participants: the era of isolated, reactive, and compliance-driven security management has ended. In its place, organizations must adopt Enterprise Security Risk Management as a strategic, board-level discipline that integrates cybersecurity, physical security, operational resilience, governance, intelligence, and enterprise-wide risk management.

Delivering the Opening Address, Rear Admiral Kenneth Bolanle Ati-John (Rtd), Chairman of the Occasion and Chief Executive Officer of Advantec Marine Service, emphasized that security risk can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of traditional security agencies.
He noted that contemporary threats—including terrorism, cybercrime, kidnapping, disinformation, supply chain disruption, climate-related risks, and institutional trust deficits—are interconnected and capable of cascading across sectors and institutions. He called for a shift from reaction to anticipation, from silos to systems thinking, and from compliance-based approaches to a culture of risk awareness embedded throughout organizations and society.

A major highlight of the conference was the keynote address delivered by Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who underscored the strategic importance of telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria’s digital economy and national security architecture.

Dr. Maida revealed that Nigeria currently has more than 185 million active mobile connections and over 153 million internet subscriptions, while facing more than 4,000 cyberattacks weekly. He highlighted significant threats to national digital resilience, including over 27,000 fibre cable cuts recorded in 2025 and the continued challenge of data sovereignty, with nearly 90 percent of Nigerian data hosted outside Africa.
He outlined several initiatives being implemented by the NCC, including the Telecom Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS), the Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigerian Communications Sector, enhanced corporate governance requirements, and the operationalization of Critical National 6Information Infrastructure (CNII) protections.

According to Dr. Maida, building a secure and resilient digital ecosystem requires a shared responsibility model involving regulators, operators, government institutions, private sector organizations, academia, and professional bodies.

The conference also featured a keynote address delivered on behalf of Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Babatunde Onadeko, FERP
The presentation highlighted the growing complexity of systemic risk in an interconnected world where cyber incidents, operational disruptions, governance failures, and geopolitical events increasingly overlap. The address stressed that security is no longer merely a technical concern but an economic, institutional, and strategic imperative requiring direct board oversight and executive accountability.
Participants were urged to institutionalize intelligence sharing, conduct joint preparedness exercises, and adopt risk-based prioritization frameworks that focus resources on the most critical vulnerabilities.

In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, the Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to building a resilient, technology-driven, and investment-friendly environment capable of supporting sustainable economic growth.

The message emphasized that modern threats have become fluid, borderless, and highly unpredictable, requiring innovative approaches that integrate physical, cyber, economic, and social dimensions of security.

The Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, MFR, mni, represented by George Daramola, Controller of the Lagos State Correctional Command, highlighted the role of intelligence-led collaboration and institutional resilience in addressing emerging threats such as violent extremism, organized crime, cyber-enabled offenses, and custodial security challenges.

The conference also featured remarks delivered on behalf of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, by Deputy Comptroller Bolaji Lukman Adigun, Acting Customs Area Controller, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Command.

The presentation emphasized the importance of balancing security imperatives with trade facilitation and operational efficiency within the framework of Enterprise Security Risk Management. It noted that contemporary security challenges are increasingly interconnected and require coordinated, multi-agency responses involving Customs, Immigration, NDLEA, DSS, the Nigeria Police Force, Port Authorities, Financial Intelligence Units, and other relevant stakeholders, supported by strong collaboration with the private sector and international partners.
It further highlighted the role of technology as a force multiplier in modern border security operations, including the use of artificial intelligence, risk profiling systems, non-intrusive inspection technologies, smart surveillance, biometrics, drones, and data-driven intelligence systems to enhance operational effectiveness and resilience.

The conference further benefited from a comprehensive presentation by Dr. Wale Adeagbo, Director of the Centre of Excellence at Halogen Group, who provided an in-depth exploration of ESRM as a strategic framework for aligning security objectives with organizational mission and value creation.

Drawing on global security trends, Dr. Adeagbo emphasized the transition from traditional security models to predictive, analytics-driven, and people-centered approaches. He stressed that future security systems must be proactive, adaptive, integrated, and built around principles such as Zero Trust Architecture, real-time resilience, and security-by-design.

He also challenged security professionals to adopt a broader enterprise perspective that considers organizational culture, industry context, operational realities, and evolving threat dynamics when managing risk.

Complementing these perspectives, Maji Allamogu, the Chief Information Security Officer of Quest Merchant Bank presented a strategic framework for repositioning Enterprise Security Risk Management within modern organizations. The presentation highlighted the limitations of traditional risk management approaches and demonstrated how ESRM integrates cybersecurity, physical security, operational resilience, supply chain security, data privacy, and regulatory compliance into a unified governance structure.

The presentation further emphasized the importance of board-level visibility, centralized risk intelligence, continuous monitoring, risk-based decision-making, and the translation of security risks into business and financial impact metrics that support executive decision-making.
Across all presentations and discussions, five dominant themes emerged:

Security can no longer be managed in isolation, as risks are increasingly interconnected across physical, digital, operational, and strategic domains.
Enterprise Security Risk Management must become a boardroom priority, supported by executive accountability and enterprise-wide governance structures.
Multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential for building resilience against modern threats.
Artificial intelligence presents both unprecedented risks and transformative opportunities for security and risk management.
Nigeria stands at a critical moment in its digital and economic development, requiring deliberate investments in resilience, cybersecurity, governance, and institutional coordination.
Speaking on the significance of the event, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals, Dr Olayinka Odutola, FCMA, CGMA, FERP
noted that the conference marks the beginning of a sustained national conversation aimed at advancing Enterprise Security Risk Management as a strategic enabler of organizational resilience, economic growth, and national development.
The Association reaffirmed its commitment to promoting professional excellence, thought leadership, research, capacity building, and stakeholder collaboration in support of stronger security governance across public and private sector institutions.
As Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation and expands its role within the global economy, the conference concluded with a collective call to action for leaders across government, industry, academia, and civil society to move beyond awareness and embrace coordinated action that strengthens resilience, safeguards critical assets, and secures the nation’s future.