Nigeria To Establish Cybersecurity Coordination Council To Tackle Cyber Threats
Nigeria To Establish Cybersecurity Coordination Council To Tackle Cyber Threats
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this in a statement, on Wednesday, noting that the proposed council would serve as a multi-stakeholder platform for collaboration among key actors in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
The Nigerian Government has signalled plans to establish a Cybersecurity Coordination Council aimed at strengthening national cyber resilience and improving coordinated responses to growing digital threats across public and private sectors.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this in a statement, on Wednesday, noting that the proposed council would serve as a multi-stakeholder platform for collaboration among key actors in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
According to him, the council is envisioned as a non-statutory coordination body designed to enhance information sharing, strengthen partnerships and provide advisory support to the Federal Government on cybersecurity strategies and collaborative frameworks.
“This initiative follows recent cybersecurity incidents that have posed significant risks to customers and disrupted operations across major private institutions, public systems, and Nigeria’s services industry,” the minister said, adding that the development underscores the increasingly sophisticated nature of cyber threats.
He noted that the Federal Government would work closely with the private sector, regulators, and other stakeholders, in consultation with the Office of the National Security Adviser, to promote structured partnerships and improve national cyber defence mechanisms.
The proposed council is expected to include Chief Information Security Officers across major sectors, cybersecurity professional associations, the Nigerian Computer Society, law enforcement agencies, civil society groups, and international technology providers operating in the country.
Tijani added that stakeholders would collaborate to develop trusted threat intelligence-sharing mechanisms, sector-wide cyber defence protocols, capacity-building programmes, and coordinated incident response frameworks.
To drive the process, the minister directed the National Information Technology Development Agency, Nigerian Communications Commission, Galaxy Backbone Limited and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission to jointly establish a technical coordination secretariat and develop initial terms of reference for stakeholder engagement.
The secretariat, according to the statement, will be domiciled within the National Information Technology Development Agency and operate under the strategic coordination of the minister’s office.
As part of efforts to kick-start consultations, the ministry also announced plans to convene a national cybersecurity industry roundtable in April 2026 to facilitate technical dialogue and co-create an operational framework for the proposed council.
“Cybersecurity is a shared national responsibility. Protecting Nigeria’s digital economy requires strong partnerships, trusted collaboration, and collective vigilance across government, industry, and civil society,” Tijani said.
He urged stakeholders across sectors to participate actively in the consultative process, stressing that collaborative action was essential to deterring cybercriminal activity and safeguarding Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
